Le Macchiole : Messorio 2020

Messorio 2020 Le Macchiole: characteristics and tasting advice

Tasting

Color
Deep, intense ruby red, this wine stands out with garnet highlights typical of a structured, age-worthy Merlot.

Nose
Complex and evolving, the nose reveals intense aromas of ripe black fruits (black cherry, blackberry, plum) alongside mineral notes of graphite and crushed stone. With aeration, the bouquet gains spicy nuances (cardamom, black pepper, cinnamon), touches of roasted coffee and toasted cocoa. Herbal notes of dried lavender, violet and bay leaf lend the whole a Mediterranean, savory dimension.

Palate
On the palate, the wine shows as medium- to full-bodied, with a velvety, silky texture. Fine, firm, tightly knit tannins frame the palate while maintaining remarkable elegance. Bright acidity brings lift and precision. Flavors of black fruits (blackcurrant, blackberry, black cherry) are joined by notes of chocolate, mocha, licorice and vanilla. A saline astringency mid-palate adds complexity and depth. The finish, exceptionally long and persistent, lingers on subtle mineral, spicy and oaky notes.

Food and wine pairings

Messorio 2020 is an ideal match for grilled or roasted red meats, game, braised dishes such as osso buco, or pasta dishes with Bolognese sauce. It also pairs perfectly with characterful aged cheeses.

Serving and cellaring

Messorio 2020 is best enjoyed at a temperature between 16 and 17°C. Decanting for 30 minutes to one hour is recommended. This wine can be enjoyed through around 2048.

An emblematic Merlot from Bolgheri in Tuscany

The estate

Founded in 1983 by Eugenio Campolmi and Cinzia Merli, the Tenuta Le Macchiole is among Bolgheri’s pioneering estates, at a time when the region counted only seven producers. Today, Cinzia Merli runs the estate with her sons Elia and Mattia, carrying forward the domaine’s original vision. The vineyard spans around 35 hectares across twelve plots. Certified organic since 2002 and practicing biodynamics since 2010, Le Macchiole has established itself as an international benchmark thanks to outstanding single-varietal wines. The estate revolutionized Bolgheri’s winegrowing approach by demonstrating the potential of single-variety expressions, notably with Messorio, which helped restore Merlot’s reputation as a noble, age-worthy grape variety.

The vineyard

Messorio 2020 comes primarily from the Vignone vineyard, planted in 1999, and the Ulivino parcel, planted in 2016. These vines are located in Bolgheri, in the province of Livorno in Tuscany, between the hills and the Tyrrhenian Sea. The soils rest on a complex limestone and clay matrix, with variations in composition from one parcel to another. The Vignone vineyard features fully calcareous soils with varying proportions of clay and sand. Parcel altitude ranges from 30 to 220 meters, creating microclimatic conditions conducive to optimal ripening. The Mediterranean climate, tempered by sea breezes, enables ideal phenolic development and good acidity retention. Yields are drastically limited to around 800 grams of grapes per vine thanks to severe green harvesting.

The vintage

The 2020 vintage in Bolgheri began with a rainy winter and temperatures in line with seasonal norms, followed by a particularly dry period. Spring proved changeable, with cool temperatures at the end of March followed by a gradual rise in April, slowing budbreak. May, cool and rainy, significantly slowed vegetative growth. June brought a climatic turnaround with hot, dry conditions that, combined with May rains, encouraged vigorous growth and required repeated green work throughout the summer. Harvest began slightly later than in previous years, with Merlot picked between the first and third weeks of September, allowing optimal phenolic ripeness to be reached.

Winemaking and aging

After sorting and destemming, around one third of the Messorio 2020 grapes were vinified in concrete vats, with the remaining two thirds in temperature-controlled stainless-steel tanks. Fermentation was accompanied by long macerations with frequent pump-overs and manual punch-downs, complemented by cold macerations at the end of the process. The wine was then aged for 18 months in 95% new French oak barrels, with the remaining 5% aged in clay amphorae. This combination adds structure and vanilla and spice notes while preserving subtle textural complexity. After its time in wood, Messorio 2020 underwent an additional 20 months of bottle aging before release, allowing all components to integrate harmoniously.

Grape variety

Merlot (100%).