2008 - Messorio, Le Macchiole, Toscana

This vintage marks another philosophical shift for this important Tuscan wine, especially in terms of tannin management. The 2008 Messorio sees 25% neutral oak. The idea was to return to mixed oak vessels, with new and neutral oak, for its 18-month aging period. This was also a difficult year that required very careful berry selection and lots of work to pick out the best fruit on the sorting table. Various vineyard parcels were harvested independently and vinified separately. But despite the fussiness, Le Macchiole had reached a point of winemaking maturity at this point that allows for more intelligent and innovative decisions. This wine has a long way to go and I'd venture that it's just barely entering its drinking prime. The bouquet is dark and sophisticated, but it is fluid and ever-changing as well.

(100% merlot): Saturated, purple-tinged ruby. Knockout multidimensional aromas of crushed blackberry, blueberry, iron, bitter chocolate, coffee and smoky oak. Offers great verve and depth on the palate, delivering extremely dense but magically refined flavors of black fruits, violet and bitter chocolate. Finishes with subtle, palate-staining persistence and firm, noble tannins. A great Messorio.