1998 Masseto

A moment when people sat up and took notice of Masseto, and saw its personality was clearly different from the rest of Tuscany. Graphite, intense spice, red pepper, black olives and chocolate shavings, velvety tannins still with clear density at 23 years old. A brilliant choice for drinking now. This was a dry summer, with a cool harvest that meant Sangiovese in the rest of Tuscany struggled with full ripeness, but on Masseto's site, and with the Merlot grape, they were able to achieve this rich fruit character. A point of reference for the estate, and a real privilege to taste at this point. 100% new oak.

A dark, seamless beauty, the 1998 Masseto is off the charts. This is such a remarkable bottle. At twenty years of age, the 1998 is still very young, but its exotic beauty and sheer opulence make it such a pleasure to drink and taste on this evening. The very hot, dry year yielded a sumptuous, bold wine with tons of depth that really emerges with time in the glass. What a wine!

The vintage that was too cool inland but produced some lovely, just-ripe-enough wines in Bolgheri. Each vineyard lot was vinified and aged separately. The grapes were destemmed and gently pressed before fermentation in wooden casks where maceration took place over a period of 20–25 days and during which time the wine completed its alcoholic fermentation at a temperature not exceeding 30 °C. The wine was then racked and introduced into new French oak barriques where it completed its malolactic fermentation and remained for 24 months. The wine was then bottled and remained in the cellars for a further 12 months before release. Very deep crimson. Aromatic and Cabernet Franc-like on the nose. Lovely combination of Merlot ripeness and the vintage’s freshness. At a perfect stage of evolution. Tighter and more focused than the 2001. (JR)