The 2020 Masseto a fine, sophisticated, and pure expression, and feels particularly vibrant compared to the previous few vintages. There's still plenty of rich dark fruit and dark chocolate, along with spicy, bold oak character. The acidity is bright and there's a leafy, savoury element from the Cabernet Franc that comes through more than we've seen in previous years.
This wine is now sold out. Please get in touch with your advisor or one of our team on [email protected] or 01473 313 300 for more information or guidance on an alternative.
The 2020 Masseto now sees new DNA with a touch of Cabernet Franc added to this celebrated Merlot-based icon wine. This is a vintage of enormous richness and density, and everything about the wine is taken up a notch or two (including the bottle glass weight and the 15% alcohol content). But Axel Heinz and his team are well prepared for the hot vintages like 2020, and changes to farming and canopy management ensure even ripening. This wine is always hard to analyze in its youth. It needs many more years to soften and flesh out. Give it time. Following a very productive 17 years at Masseto and Ornellaia, Estate Director Axel Heinz announced in March of this year that he was leaving his position. He will join Château Lascombes in Bordeaux as CEO. Axel was born in Germany, raised in France and established a brilliant winemaking career in Italy. ""It makes it difficult to know which national soccer team to root for,"" he once joked with me. Under his time at Masseto and Ornellaia, the two brands grew in respective strength with individual identities. His new releases command some of the highest prices in Italian wine and are sought after by collectors worldwide. Axel oversaw the construction of the new Masseto winery, and he launched a second wine called Massetino (new vintages of both are reviewed here). Axel was quoted in the Italian press as saying, ""Italy will stay in my heart forever, but it's time to go back to France.
Maturity Ready 2024 - 2033
Prices shown in bond
Maturity Ready 2023 - 2033
Maturity Young 2025 - 2040
Sign up to our newsletter and enjoy a 5% discount on your first purchase.
By submitting your details, you’re agreeing for us to send you information about offers and the latest updates from Lay & Wheeler by email. We’ll always treat your personal details with care and will never sell them to other companies for marketing purposes. Please visit our privacy policy page for more information.
We use cookies to deliver a better experience for you on our site. By continuing you agree to our use of cookies.
