Italy Ornellaia Masseto 1995
Masseto 1995 is a Tuscan red wine produced by Tenuta dell’Ornellaia, made from 100% Merlot. This cuvée comes from the Masseto hillside in Castagneto Carducci, where the vines take root in a vein of ancient marine blue clay. The name Masseto refers to the blocks of clay that surface in the vineyard. A great terroir-driven Tuscan Merlot, focused on the expression of a singular parcel.
Identité du vin
- Couleur
- Red
- Pays
- Italie
- Région
- Toscane
- Producteur / Domaine
- Tenuta dell'Ornellaia
- Cuvée
- Masseto
Cépage et assemblage
- Grape Variety
- 100% Merlot
Tenuta dell'Ornellaia
Ornellaia is a wine estate situated in Bolgheri, on the Tuscan coast, in the municipality of Castagneto Carducci. Founded in 1981 by Marquis Lodovico Antinori, it cultivates 115 hectares of vineyards and is now owned by the Frescobaldi family. The vineyard is planted mainly with Bordeaux grape varieties, in particular Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.
- Owner
- Famille Frescobaldi
- Maître de chais
- Denise Cosentino
- Surface (ha)
- 115.00 ha
- Production (average bottles per vintage)
- 1 000 000 bouteilles/an
Histoire du domaine
Ornellaia was founded in 1981 in Bolgheri by Marquis Lodovico Antinori, with advice from the oenologist André Tchelistcheff. The estate’s first plantings took place in 1982. The first vintage of Ornellaia wine was produced in 1985. The estate also gave rise to Masseto, whose first vintage dates from 1987; this property is now separate, although it belongs to the same group. Michel Rolland joined the estate as a consultant oenologist in 1991. The second wine, Le Serre Nuove dell’Ornellaia, was launched in 1997. Robert Mondavi Winery acquired a stake in the estate in 1999, before taking control of it in 2002 in partnership with the Frescobaldi family. In 2005, the Frescobaldi family became the sole owners of Ornellaia. Axel Heinz subsequently oversaw production and winemaking from 2005 to 2023. Since January 2024, Marco Balsimelli has been technical director and production manager, whilst Denise Cosentino is Ornellaia’s oenologist.
Masseto
Masseto is a distinct red wine originating from the various parcels of the eponymous vineyard, located on the Masseto hill in Bolgheri. Crafted around Merlot and produced separately from the very first harvest, it seeks to express the site's blue clays. The parcel lots are vinified separately before being blended.
- Origin of the cuvée name
- The name comes from "massi", compact blocks of blue clay that form on the surface of the Masseto vineyard.
- Cuvée creation year
- 1986
- Style of the cuvée
- A powerful, deep, and opulent red wine that simultaneously seeks a silky texture, refined elegance, and classic balance.
- Position within the range
- An emblematic and prestigious single-vineyard wine, historically at the pinnacle of the Tenuta dell’Ornellaia range.
Histoire de la cuvée
The first Merlot vines were planted in the early 1980s following the identification of the clay soils' potential on the hill. An experimental bottling from the 1986 harvest serves as the prototype for Masseto; the first officially commercialized version corresponds to the 1987 vintage. Historically produced by Tenuta dell’Ornellaia, Masseto has had its own winery and autonomous estate identity since 2019.
