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2016 Le Macchiole Merlot Messorio

2016 Le Macchiole Merlot Messorio

99 RP

Featured Review
This expression of Merlot is explosive and profound. The 2016 Messorio presents an absolute textbook rendition of Merlot that can be read and appreciated in terms of the layering and overlapping textures of the wine as it rolls over the palate. There is a point of sweetness on the palate, and the wine also shows a bright point of acidity that makes for a great balancing act. I tasted this wine twice, and at my first tasting, I tried it next to the 2015 vintage, thus putting me in a better position to directly compare the two. Whereas the 2015 edition came off as more velvety and soft, the 2016 vintage displays exceptionally crafted precision. This is an incredible wine. Fermentation occurs in cement vats, and the wine goes into barrique for 19 months. Some 11,000 bottles were made. Robert Parker Wine Advocate

Robert Parker | 99 RP

Critic Reviews

This expression of Merlot is explosive and profound. The 2016 Messorio presents an absolute textbook rendition of Merlot that can be read and appreciated in terms of the layering and overlapping textures of the wine as it rolls over the palate. There is a point of sweetness on the palate, and the wine also shows a bright point of acidity that makes for a great balancing act. I tasted this wine twice, and at my first tasting, I tried it next to the 2015 vintage, thus putting me in a better position to directly compare the two. Whereas the 2015 edition came off as more velvety and soft, the 2016 vintage displays exceptionally crafted precision. This is an incredible wine. Fermentation occurs in cement vats, and the wine goes into barrique for 19 months. Some 11,000 bottles were made.

Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 99 RP
With the 2016 Messorio, Le Macchiole moves from a wine of unctuous power to one of total refinement. Aromatic, translucent and striking in its nuance, the 2016 is flat out stunning. The flavors are fresh, vibrant and beautifully delineated. More than anything else, through the 2016 shows the present-day Macchiole style off to great effect. Another year in bottle has done wonders for the Messorio, which is even more arresting in its beauty today than it was last year.

Vinous Media | 97 VM
Messorio is made from the estate's best selection of Merlot grapes. The 2016 vintage has produced an extremely balanced wine with great intensity, full of aromas of mediterranean herbs, juniper, meat and some butteriness. However, it's on the palate that it shows its full depth, with a full, creamy frame, thick on the finish yet ripe and precise. Cloves, curry and other spicy notes from oak ageing are still to be integrated, yet the wine already provides a warm caress. Drinking Window 2019 - 2040

Decanter | 96 DEC
Shows very ripe aromas on the nose with lightly burnt oranges, black olives and fresh dark berries and hints of walnuts, yet the palate is driven and very bright with ultra-fine tannins and a flavorful finish. Shows definition and tension. Drink in 2021 and onwards.

James Suckling | 96 JS
This pure merlot from the Bolgheri coast is smooth and velvety. This is the second year in which proprietor Cinzia Merlia has reduced the toast levels in the new French oak barriques where Messorio ages, and the effect is brilliant in this wine from the moderate 2016 growing season, bringing striking clarity to the wine’s juicy plum and black cherry flavors. Notes of fennel bulb and aniseed accent the fruit tones, and the flavors glide on silky tannins toward a long, elegant finish. —S.J. Vintus, Pleasantville, NY

Wine and Spirits | 96 W&S
Cedar, camphor, French oak and cassis aromas are front and center. Mirroring the nose, the firm full-bodied palate offers coconut, roasted coffee bean, dried blackberry and vanilla along with notes of grilled green bell pepper. Assertive, close grained tannins provide the framework and generate a clenching, mouthdrying finish. Give the tannins several years to unwind. Drink 2023–2031.

Wine Enthusiast | 93 WE

Wine Details for 2016 Le Macchiole Merlot Messorio

Type of Wine Super Tuscan/IGT : Many grape varietals are planted all over the world so they're not typical for one single country anymore. For instance, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc form part of many blends coming from different countries. Super Tuscan wines are produced in this Italian region, but grape varietals used in the making are not indigenous - those are mostly Syrah, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon.
Varietal Merlot : With 266,000 hectares (657,300 acres) of vines spanning the planet, Merlot lands in 2nd place among all grape varietals planted in the world. Despite its inability to crack the top spot for most popular grape, it has remained under the radar performing as silent majority in the hallowed soils of its own origin, Bordeaux. Merlot is the most widely cultivated grape varietal in France, dominating the southwest regions, most notably, the Right bank. It is the body, mind and soul of some of the most collectable, influential and revered wines in the world.

Merlot has never had its time in the spotlight; nevertheless, has been quietly supplying the backbone for some of the most prominent wines in the Right Back since the 18th century. Merlot first appeared in French literature in 1784 when a French official claimed the wines produced from ‘Merlau’ (local French Dialect for Merlot) were the finest of its time. It is speculated that the name Merlot is derived from the French word, ‘Merle,’ meaning black bird. Whether the namesake is due to its small, deep black colored berries or the little black birds which had an affinity for the early ripening berries is still unknown. French researchers, using complex DNA fingerprinting technology (first developed by UC Davis) have concluded that Merlot is the offspring of French varietals, Cabernet Franc and Magdeleine Noire.

The Noble Bordeaux Varietal of Merlot thrives in its natural host on the Right Bank of the Gironde estuary, where the terroir is composed of rich clay, sand, limestone and iron deposits; and excels in temperate, Mediterranean, maritime climates. It dominates the vineyards of Pomerol and Saint Emilion, which have bred wines of unrivaled quality such as Chateau Petrus and Le Pin (both 100% Merlot). Merlot eventually infiltrated the Medoc (Left Bank) where it found similar and hospitable soils; ultimately influencing the wines produced there by helping to “soften” the varietals of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Its first appearance in America was documented in 1850 when French nurseryman, Antoine Delmas, brought French vines to the Santa Clara Valley.

Its inhabitance would inevitably spread to terroir hotspots around the world, such as Italy, Spain, Argentina, South Africa and nearly every wine-producing country in the world. The great and world-renowned Christian Mouiex inclined to state that “when the Merlot grape is planted on the proper terroir and harvested at its peak it produces a wine that is characterized as voluptuous, generous and distinctive.”

Merlot may not dwell in the spotlight, nor possess savvy titles like its relative, Cabernet Sauvignon but rather, is the blue-collar of grape varieties, laboring to produce some of the greatest wines in the world. Though Merlot was traditionally considered a secondary and blending varietal (which it is quite successful at) conversely, is quite sustainable and capable on its own. From the illustrious Chateau Petrus in Pomerol, to Pahlmeyer in the famed Napa Valley and on to the Tuscan Legend, Masseto, all of which are composed of 100% Merlot, prove the importance and resilience of the Merlot grape varietal. The magic of Merlot has entranced the world with its subtle, soft, sensuous texture and adaptability as well also its aptitude for producing wines that can age effortlessly for decades.

Country Italy : Italy is renowned as one of the world’s greatest gastronomic havens; from certified Prosciutto di Parma to the sea-side seafood eateries on the island of Sicily. However, this epicurean experience could not possibly be as hedonistic without the ethereal combination of the country’s plethora of fine wines. It seems unfair that a nation should be able to boast, both, some of the world’s greatest cuisine as well as its greatest wines. Italian wine is one of the most sought after in the world, and has become the second most produced in the world, behind only France.



Stretching an impressive 736 miles from northern Italy to the peninsula’s southern tip, the country’s geography generates an enormous array of topography, climate and soil structure. This is an extremely important quality of its winegrowing and making industry which lays claim to nearly 550 different grape varietals, which all desire their own necessities, in terms of terroir and climate.



The still red wines of Italy truly characterize the nation’s vast and expansive terroir; Nebbiolo dominates Piedmont, where Barolo and Barbaresco reign king and queen of the region’s production. Hailing from Brunello di Montalcino in Tuscany, the rockstar Sangiovese grape has become synonymous with greatness. Vin Santo sweet wines have taken on a mighty feat of competing with the glorious wines of Sauternes, and of course, Prosecco. Prosecco, located in Trieste (northeast Italy) and its creation of luxuriously effervescent styles of wine has become Italy’s answer to Champagne. The Glera grape variety, which has become synonymous with the name Prosecco, is the main ingredient and is beloved in the appellation where the village of Prosecco’s name has become world renowned.



The blurred boundary between Italy and the countries of Slovenia and Austria, where German influence still resonates through Friuli wines. The prevalence of Riesling and other such grape varietals is high in this region and have become extremely popular on today’s market.



With nearly 702,000 hectares of grapevines covering the massive and diverse landscape, Italy’s annual average of 48.3 million hectoliters of wine production is second only to France in terms of volume and Spain in terms of hectares of vines. The country is vast and overwhelming when it comes to the culinary arts, but perhaps even this is overshadowed by its production of some of the world’s most sought after wines, whether the omnipresent Chianti to the highly collectible and sought after Amarone della Valpolicalla.


Region Tuscany : Italian culture worships the concept of a shared meal, and their wines scream for a chance to be uncorked with your friends and family. The region's Mediterranean climate and hilly landscape combine to create a beautiful viticultural environment, where every chosen grape is brought to its full potential and transmuted into drinks worthy of gods. The vineyards are planted along the higher reaches of the hill slopes, creating a gorgeous view of the Italian landscape.

Once your lips kiss the wine, you're sent spiraling down a veritable whirlpool of pure flavor, touching upon notes of sensuous cherry, nuts, floral hints and undertones of honey and minerals. The wines can be as sweet as a fresh summer romance, and carry an air of dignity and elegance about them that can stimulate your intellect for months as you contemplate the seemingly infinite intricacies and details in the texture. Tuscany is an important part of Italian viticulture, and sampling their wines is the closest you can get to visiting this heavenly region and experiencing the culture.

Overview

Producer Macchiole

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