2017 MASSETO - Tenuta dell´Ornellaia

Dieser Tage wurde über den Marktplatz Bordeaux ein Wein freigegeben, der bereits seit 1987 für unglaubliche Furore sorgt – 2017 MASSETO von der TENUTA DELL ORNELLAIA in Bolgheri. 1986 startete dieser 100% Merlot als damals noch unbekanntes Projekt namens Merlot dell `Ornellaia, mittlerweile zählt MASSETO mit zu den gesuchtesten Weinen weltweit, ausnahmslos jeder Jahrgang MASSETO erzielt nach Jahren beeindruckend hohe Preise. Die zur Verfügung stehende Menge war in Bordeaux deshalb auch bereits vor dem offiziellen Release ausverkauft. Die Nachfrage war unglaublich hoch.   Knapp 7 Hektar Rebfläche stehen Axel Heinz, einem gebür­ti­gen Mün­che­ner, zur Verfügung. Heinz studierte Önologie in Bor­deaux, arbeitete dann auf meh­re­ren Châ­teaux, bevor er 2005 in die Tos­ka­na gelangte. Er notiert zu 2017 MASSETO: 

„…Harvest started early and was the fastest ever, only three days of picking between the 24th and 30th August. Given the particular conditions, the grapes were picked rather by vine age than by single vineyard…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 both steel and concrete tanks, small portions of vineyards in barrel. .. Malolactic fermentation 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 2017 was given another 12 months in bottle before being released on the market…Masseto 2017 is certainly a child of its vintage, that has managed to encapsulate all the ripeness and concentration of a particularly sunny and dry vintage. The colour is almost black, the nose reveals a rich and ripe expression of concentrated black fruit, with hints of spices and liquorice. On the palate the wine manages to combine great intensity and ripeness of fruit with a remarkable sense of balance and freshness. The tannins are densely knit, the texture velvety, the finish shows lingering fruitiness and a vibrant acidity giving a final touch of freshness. Although it comes from one of the warmest vintages, 2017 can be considered a very typical Masseto in its unmistakeable combination of richness and elegance.”   Das Alterungspotential dieses Merlot ist beeindruckend, auch ganz frühe Jahrgänge trinken sich nach wie vor perfekt. Dabei ist die Stilistik nie scheu, ein MASSETO zeigt, was er hat, im Vergleich zu den großen Pomerols – naheliegender Vergleich - immer etwas mehr von Fruchtsüße geprägt, enorme Komplexität mit satter, aber reifer Tanninstruktur zeigend. MASSETO ist ein Wein, der nicht nur in Italien Geschichte schreibt und geschrieben hat. Wir erhielten eine äußerst überschaubare Menge 2017 MASSETO und freuen uns, Ihnen diese anbieten zu können. Sehen Sie sich die Verkostungsnotizen und Bewertungen der relevanten Wein-Journalisten an, eine beeindruckende Performance.   96-99 ANTONIO GALLONI:
"The 2017 Masseto is a spectacular wine in the making. Rich and sumptuous in the glass, the 2017 possesses off the charts intensity and plenty of structure as well. Red cherry jam, mocha, leather, licorice and a dash of new oak are all fused together in an opulent, seamless Masseto endowed with magnificent balance. The 2017 is quite simply a remarkable wine for such a challenging year. I can't wait to taste it from bottle." 98 JAMES SUCKING:
"The clarity of the ripe blackcurrants, black cherries and flowers in the nose is entrancing. Lavender, too. It’s full-bodied with firm, silky tannins that run long and straight through the wine, providing brightness and focus. Goes on for minutes. Strength with finesse Drink after 2024, but already wonderful to taste." 97 THE WINEADVOCATE:
"The Masseto 2017 Masseto puts on another exhilarating, knock-out performance for the third year in a row. The Masseto vineyard is a triangular-shaped plot tucked in at the back of the same property that houses the Ornellaia vineyards and winery. This special site is located at the base of the mountains that rise gently from the Tyrrhenian Sea, with the picturesque silhouette of the Castiglioncello castle at the top. The vines are planted at an altitude of 80 to 100 meters above sea level in blue clay soils that are unique to Bolgheri. That ideal position opens the vineyards to soft breezes, proximity to the sea, long daylight hours and cool diurnal shifts from the protective wall of low mountains at the back. It's a little garden of Merlot Eden. The center of the vineyard now is home to the new Masseto winery and an adjacent tasting room built into a pre-existing farmhouse. This wine was made in the old winery (the existing Ornellaia winery). Fermentation kicks off in a combination of steel and oak tanks before the wine is racked over to barrique, where it rests for two years. The wine then goes into bottle for 12 months before its release. Like most vintages of Masseto tasted this early in the game, the oak is omnipresent, and it grounds the wine in terms of texture and structure. It is powerful, but that's always the case with Masseto (this vintage records a 15.5% alcohol content). I tasted this wine next to the decidedly more playful Massetino, and the Masseto moves over the palate with substantial fruit weight and concentration gained over the course of this hot and dry growing season (which produced smaller, richer and more compact berries). Perhaps, what this vintage lacks is that profound varietal character that we saw in recent vintages like 2016 and 2015. If concerned that the hot vintage would draw out too many ripe fruit tones, the oak serves to soften some of the more volatile components of the fruit. Those distinctive notes of macchia mediterranea (wild bush) that I always associate with Masseto are less present in this vintage. You feel the oak tannins on the finish with toast and vanilla that will certainly shed as the wine ages. In fact, I went back to taste the wine 12 hours later, and they had already softened considerably. This 2017 vintage will be released in October 2020." 97 DECANTER:
"This is luscious, think Le Pin rather than Petrus if you are comparing to a Pomerol. The layers of spice are clear and distinct, from pepper to saffron to cloves, extremely rich but with an upward swing of acidity that keeps it gripped on to its base, and delivers the power and seduction of Masseto. An excellent vintage taking the extreme drought of the summer in its stride, proof of the exceptional location of this property. There are plenty of finely tuned tannins, but you have to wait until you are halfway through the palate before they start to build in intensity, so well brushed and supple they are at first. One to savour, for sure. 100% new oak. 24 months in barrel then another 12 months in bottle before being released from the estate." 97 FALSTAFF:
"Kraftvolles, leuchtendes Rubinviolett. Duftet satt nach Heidelbeeren, dazu feine Noten nach Gewürznelken, etwas Pflaumen. Tritt am Gaumen mächtig ein, öffnet sich mit Tannin in vielen Schichten, mächtiger Körper, im Finale fester Druck, aber auch recht heiß, viel Würze."