Winemaker Notes
Paleo Rosso has been called Italy's landmark expression of Cabernet Franc. This grape variety is growing internationally as a distinct bottling, but Bolgheri has proven to be the single best place in the world to do so. The Mediterranean climate and surroundings result in a wine of extraordinarily expressive, sensual, and textural fruits and savory spices.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
A riot of pepper lights up the nose, from cracked black to green peppercorn to hot chili. Flint and leather undertones empower the heat, while aromas of raspberry jam and vanilla provide balance. The palate stays spicy, with snappy, confident acidity, but a sweetness lingers, and a finish of chili and chocolate ties everything together. Transcendent. Drink 2030–2040 or beyond.
Cellar Selection -
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
One of Italy's best Cabernet Francs, the Le Macchiole 2020 Paleo is very dense and richly concentrated with a level of dark fruit that can only be chipped at and broken down by slow cellar aging. Paleo is always a wine for the long haul. The oak needs time to integrate and find focus. Even at this young stage, the quality of the tannins and the spot-on fruit ripeness is convincing. A note of sweet cherry, exotic spice and dark chocolate make for a long send-off.
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Jeb Dunnuck
A saturated red color and made entirely from Cabernet Franc, the 2020 Paleo is another wine with a lot of bravado, offering beautifully intertwining, classic notes of pencil shavings, toasted sage, cedar, and cassis. At this youthful stage, it will need time to aromatically integrate with its oak, as the oak becomes more prevalent through the palate. It has ripe tannins, evenly balanced acidity, and more vanillin spices that last long on the back palate, but I suspect this wine may have seen a touch more new oak. Drink 2026-2046.
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James Suckling
Lots of black berries and black olives with currants and rosemary. Full-bodied, chewy and rich with intense tannins and a long and powerful finish. Muscular and toned. A little old school. Drink after 2028.
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Wine Spectator
Precise, with herb and bell pepper accents to the black currant, black olive, iron and tobacco flavors. Shows underlying vanilla and spice elements from the discrete use of new oak, playing out on the long finish with harmony and finesse.
Long before it was fashionable, Eugenio Campolmi saw the potential of his homeland, buying his first vineyard in Bolgheri in 1975 baptised "Le Macchiole". In 1987, he hired famed oenologist Vittorio Fiore as a consultant before the later was joined by Luca d'Attoma for years later. In contrast to his renowned neighbors who focused on Bordeaux blends, Campolmi focused on achieving the purest expression of individual varieties, crafting distinct wines of unprecedented quality. Soon Le Macchiole joined Sassicaia, Ornellaia, and Guado al Tasso as one of the most prestigious estates in Bolgheri. Following Eugenio's death in 2002, his wife Cinzia Merli, who shares her husband's passion, took over at the estate. Working with Luca D'Attoma, she has carried on her husband's legacy by continuing to make great Tuscan wines.
Legendary in Italy for its Renaissance art and striking landscape, Tuscany is also home to many of the country’s best red wines. Sangiovese reigns supreme here, as either the single varietal, or a dominant player, in almost all of Tuscany’s best.
A remarkable Chianti, named for its region of origin, will have a bright acidity, supple tannins and plenty of cherry fruit character. From the hills and valleys surrounding the medieval village of Montalcino, come the distinguished and age-worthy wines based on Brunello (Sangiovese). Earning global acclaim since the 1970s, the Tuscan Blends are composed solely of international grape varieties or a mix of international and Sangiovese. The wine called Vine Nobile di Montepulciano, composed of Prognolo Gentile (Sangiovese) and is recognized both for finesse and power.