Masseto is Lodovico Antinori’s crowning achievement! In fact, Masseto has the distinction of being Toscana’s most widely sought wine. It has attracted the attention and opened the wallets of collectors and enthusiasts all over the world.

If Sassicaia can be labeled Bolgheri’s Babe Ruth, Ornellaia would certainly be its Lou Gehrig. Tenuta dell'Ornellaia makes outstanding wines even in difficult vintages—better than any other. This estate again proves that critic generalizations to vintage are incorrect, maintaining the signature balance and structure.

Brother to Piero Antinori and cousin to Marchese Mario Incisa della Rocchetta of Sassicaia, Lodovico Antinori left his family in the seventies to start his own winery with an emphasis on Cabernet and Merlot. Like the neighboring Marchese Mario Incisa, Lodovico believed that the steep, south-facing coastal slopes of this zone were a calling card for great claret-style wines. However, Lodovico did not just look to Bordeaux or Sassicaia for inspiration. He quickly acquainted himself with Andre Tchelistcheff, one of the fathers of California Cabernet, as well as Bordeaux’s leading enologist, Michel Rolland. With their guidance and persistence, Lodovico established a plot dedicated to the noble Merlot. The unique spot contains a blend of three clays in the soil and has its own distinct microclimate which is akin to that of Pomerol. With the team and plantings in place it wasn’t long before a space-age wine facility was built to produce the highest quality wines of Italy.

Of note is the 2003 Masseto, in which winemaker Axel Heintz chose quality over quantity: only 20,000 bottles were released, as opposed to the usual 35,000. This atypical vintage gave a more opulent and approachable Masseto that still demands another 3-4 years of bottle aging. The 2002 vintage reaffirms that Masseto can in fact compete with the great Merlots of the world. Even though the '02 vintage has been recognized as exceedingly difficult, we continue to be inspired by Masseto’s great winemaking. It should also be noted that the coastal Bolgheri did not see the rain that inland Tuscany received in this particular year. In addition, Merlot has the ability to fare better in wet vintages. IWM feels it is the 2002 vintage's signature aromas, concentration, and rich, dark fruit flavors that make this wine a collector’s trophy.