Masseto 2022 Tenuta dell'Ornellaia Toscana IGT

Jeb Dunnuck, 98+ punten
This vintage of the 2022 Masseto is 100% Merlot. The nose is pronounced, leading with its mineral aromas of crushed dark stones. It smells like dissolved minerals, delicate peppery accents, black plum, red apples, lavender perfume, and sage. The aromatics are quite profound in this vintage, and on the palate, it’s full-bodied and more structured, with ripe tannins and a good deal of depth and richness, with the minerality shining through. Long on the palate, it’s generous all the way through, and while it feels approachable upfront, more structure comes through on the finish. Allow it some time in cellar and drink 2028-2058.

 Jane Anson, 98 punten
 Intense medium to full intensity in colour, reflective of small berries even with very careful fermentation with low extraction and shorter extraction down to 25 days. Intense, cocoa bean, liquorice, black chocolate, plum, black truffle, extremely salty, this is salted caramel providing relief and texture to the lush density of the fruits, this was Marco Balsimelli first blend and overseeing the end of ageing, arrived September 2023. 90% new barrels. Masseto is one of those terroirs (like Troplong, Las Cases) where the terroir has such a strong personality, that the impact of the winemaker is limited at the end of the day. Here, they slightly bring harvest earlier but still naturally very rich grapes. This is an impressive wine because it is naturally powerful, and you can feel rooted to the spot through the palate here, but if you take a bit of time to sit with it, you find the elegance and the grace. This will be a September release.

Decanter, 98 punten
The summer was so arid in 2022 that the vines shut down and ripening was halted until mid-August rains arrived. This helped to preserve acidity in the grapes, giving sensational freshness to balance the rich and finely structured palate. Masseto 2022, then, combines the best of both worlds: fruit ripeness and concentration, and freshness and poise. It's not as immediately seductive as the 2021, but there is so much potential in this long-lived vintage. Scents of cool, damp earth, dark hedgerow berries, Mediterranean scrub, and cocoa and wood give a sense of what is to come once time has untangled everything. Zingy, crunchy acidity steals the show early on, segueing into a mouthful of succulent yet dense dark berries and spice imbued with plenty of energy. Then some balsamic herbs and floral notes lighten the palate, before a touch of salinity and some bitter herbs emerge on the finish, with a refrain of bright cherry. Something special.

James Suckling, 97 punten
 A solid and structured red with blackcurrant, chocolate and walnut aromas and underlying toasted wood. Medium- to full-bodied with chewy tannins and a chewy, savory finish. Hints of coconut and toasted oak. It’s muscular and toned. It needs time to soften. Best after 2028.