MASSETO
To open a bottle, is to unleash a liquid kaleidoscope. A rare combination of sumptuous opulence and polished elegance.
As a tribute to its rugged force, its softness, and the debt it owes to the soil from which it rises, Masseto was named
after the rock-hard clusters of blue clay called ‘massi’ that form on the vineyard’s surface.

The 2010 growing season will be remembered for being one of the latest in recent years. From budbreak
on, in fact, the growth stages were some 10 days behind average, and that slow pace continued through
to the harvest. A rainy spring was followed by a hot, dry summer, which favoured optimal development
of the clusters. A few rain showers interrupted the harvest in September, but adequate dry, sunny periods
allowed the fruit to fully ripen. Painstaking vineyard management, and careful leaf-pulling in particular,
ensured that the grapes were sound and healthy. Cool nights encouraged fine development of aromatic
compounds, with the grapes displaying remarkably crisp fruit and floral qualities. Harvest started on 14th
September and was concluded on 4th October yielding a total of five different lots.

TASTING NOTES: The relatively cool climate of 2010 yielded a wine that is remarkably elegant and
with superb, complex aromatics. The colour is dense and near-opaque, while the nose boasts intense, deep
fruit accompanied by delicate spice notes and a vein of crisp minerality. If on the palate it presents itself
somewhat less opulent than in warmer vintages, it does however display an impressively-dense suite of
firm tannins that seem to linger forever. The equally-lengthy finish conveys elegant notes of toast and
chocolate. A Masseto full of elegance and finesse, but with its customary magnificence.

VINIFICATION AND AGEING
The bunches, hand harvested in 15kg crates, were selected by hand on a double sorting table before and after destemming
and then subjected to soft crushing. Fermentation took place in concrete tanks, small portions of vineyards in barrel at
temperatures between 25 and 30°C. Maceration times ranged from 21 to 28 days. Malolacticfermentation began in 100% new oak
barrique barrels, while keeping the various lots separate for the first 12
months of ripening.
Subsequently, the wine was blended and reintroduced once again into the barrels for another year, for a total of 24 months.
As usual, Masseto is given another 12 months in bottle before being released on the market.