Frescobaldi's Lamaione is a 100% Merlot from CastelGiocondo in Montalcino, aged two years in French oak. Blackberry and cherry meet tobacco, cocoa and balsamic over dense, velvety tannins. A structured Toscana IGT red for red meat.
A 100% Merlot grown on marine clay at 300 metres in Montalcino and matured around two years in French oak barriques. Vivino drinkers (4.3 from over 4,200 ratings) flag oak, blackberry and leather; Frescobaldi notes coffee, cocoa and balsamic.
Ripe blackberry and black cherry lead, lifted by the wild-berry character Frescobaldi notes on the CastelGiocondo fruit. Two years in French oak barriques layer in tobacco, vanilla, coffee bean and cocoa, the oak signature that Vivino's 4,256 ratings flag most often. A balsamic, liquorice edge keeps it lively.
Blackberry
Cherry
Plum
Leather
Oak
Liquorice
Vanilla
CocoaFull-bodied and 14.5% in alcohol, built on warm marine-clay terraces at 300 metres. The fruit is dark and concentrated, framed by dense tannins that the long barrique ageing has polished to a velvety grain. The leather and earthy, smoky notes drinkers consistently pick out give it savoury depth rather than sweetness.
Long and persistent, closing on the coffee and cocoa Frescobaldi calls out, with a cool balsamic-liquorice lift rather than overt sweetness. The French-oak signature is assertive but folds into the fruit on a strong CastelGiocondo vintage.
Frescobaldi's flagship varietal Merlot and a Super-Tuscan benchmark since 1991, Lamaione earns a 4.3 average across more than 4,200 Vivino ratings. Drinkers love its depth and velvet texture while noting the bold oak, so it rewards robust red meat and a few years in the cellar.
UK listings for Lamaione currently span the 2012 to 2021 vintages at roughly 57 to 85 pounds a bottle, all standard 75 cl. Price tracks the year rather than condition: the lauded 2015 and 2021 sit at the top.
Scored across six axes for how this CastelGiocondo Merlot performs: strong on cellar potential and special-occasion weight, lighter on everyday drinking and beginner value at its 57-pound-plus price.
Two years in French oak barriques and a dense tannic frame give 12 to 20 years of ageing from strong vintages such as 2015 and 2021.
A prestigious Frescobaldi flagship and recognised Super-Tuscan benchmark, well suited to special-occasion red-meat dinners.
Full-bodied, firm-tannin red that excels with grilled and braised red meat and aged cheese, though its weight and oak make it less of an all-purpose match.
At a lowest UK price near 57 pounds it is fairly priced for a flagship single-estate Super-Tuscan Merlot, around category par rather than a bargain.
Scoring is rule-based and deterministic. The model and weightings are documented in our editorial methodology.
A compact view of what the Toscana denomination actually requires, and how this bottle sits inside it. Pulled from the official Italian disciplinare.
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Montalcino's seasons shape this Merlot's weight. 2012, 2015 and 2021 were excellent, concentrated years; 2014 was cooler and lighter. Each is 14.5% alcohol, built on the same CastelGiocondo clay.
A complex, high-quality year with reduced yields, ripe fruit and firm tannins. The most age-worthy of the current releases; give it time.
A very good, approachable vintage with supple fruit, more immediately drinkable than the firmer 2021 released alongside it.
One of Montalcino's most sought-after recent vintages: ripe, deep and balanced, with the structure to age 15 years or more.
A cool, wet Tuscan season that produced a lighter, earlier-drinking Lamaione. The one to open first; best enjoyed now rather than cellared.
Drink-now / hold guidance reflects general style cues for this wine, not a forecast for a specific bottle. Where vintage-level editorial notes exist, they appear above.
First made in 1991, Lamaione is Frescobaldi's varietal Merlot from the CastelGiocondo estate in Montalcino, a selection aged in French barriques. It stands as the estate's flagship red alongside its Brunello.
Italian wine law sorts bottles into a pyramid. DOCG sits at the top: tightly drawn boundaries, prescribed grapes, mandatory ageing, government tasting before release. DOC is the same idea with looser thresholds. IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica) is broader still, requiring only that 85% of the grapes come from the named territory.
Toscana is in the IGT tier. That is not a quality verdict, it is a description of how much freedom the producer has at vinification and ageing.
Toscana falls within Tuscany , covering Tuscany.
Hand-harvested, single-estate Merlot on marine-clay terraces at 300 metres, with low yields and hand-selection, sets the base cost well above bulk Toscana IGT Merlot.
Roughly 24 months in French barriques, about 80% new each vintage, plus a year in bottle ties up costly cooperage and cellar space before release.
Thirty-plus years of recognition and a 4.3 Vivino average from over 4,200 ratings price brand equity into a bottle that lists around 57 to 85 pounds.
Only the best Merlot parcels become Lamaione; declassified fruit drops to other CastelGiocondo labels, concentrating cost into a small production.
UK excise duty adds 2.67 pounds per 75 cl bottle at 14.5% ABV, and 20% VAT on top, so roughly 14 pounds of a 70-pound shelf price is UK tax before retailer margin.
The broad Toscana IGT rules avoid the yield caps and mandatory release-tasting fees of Brunello, keeping certification cost lower than the estate's DOCG wines.
Dishes that complement this wine
Dense yet velvety tannins and 14.5% alcohol call for protein and fat. Frescobaldi pours Lamaione with grilled and braised red meat; aged Tuscan cheese and game ragu work for the same structural reason.
Lamaione's dense tannins need protein and fat to soften. Charred, rare-cooked red meat melts the grip and lets the ripe black fruit show, the classic Tuscan match for a structured estate red.
Try with: Fiorentina steak · Tagliata · Grilled ribeye · Lamb cutlets · More pairings →
At 14.5% and full-bodied, the wine matches the weight of long-braised meat without being flattened. Gelatine and slow-cooked richness mirror its velvety texture.
Try with: Brasato al Barolo · Ossobuco alla Milanese · Beef short ribs · Peposo · More pairings →
The wine's leather, balsamic and cocoa notes bridge to the gamey, herb-driven depth of slow lamb and wild boar ragu, echoing rather than fighting the savoury sauce.
Try with: Agnello Ragu Lucano · Pappardelle al cinghiale · Venison stew · Wild boar ragu · More pairings →
Firm tannin and acidity cut through the fat and salt of a mature hard cheese, while the ripe fruit balances its savoury crystallised edge.
Try with: Pecorino sardo e pan carasau · Aged Parmigiano · Mature pecorino · Aged Gouda · More pairings →
Earthy, smoky and oak-derived notes echo porcini, truffle and red-wine reductions, so the wine reinforces the dish's umami rather than clashing with it.
Try with: Porcini risotto · Truffle tagliatelle · Mushroom ragu · Beef in red-wine reduction · More pairings →
The 14.5% alcohol amplifies chilli heat, turning it harsh, while the firm oak-framed tannins overwhelm delicate raw fish and shellfish, leaving both wine and dish out of balance.
Skip with: Vindaloo · Sichuan hotpot · Raw oysters · Sushi · Ceviche · Pairing guide →
Two years in 80% new French oak and a marine-clay structure give Lamaione real ageing capacity. The excellent 2015 and 2021 reward a decade or more; the cooler 2014 is the one to open first.
Peak around 2032. Best in the years above; holds without falling over either side.
A short splash decant softens the first-pour edge and opens the aromatics.
Two years in French oak barriques and a dense tannic frame give 12 to 20 years of ageing from strong vintages such as 2015 and 2021.
£56.84 is the lowest tracked offer for the current vintage and we have no signal of further discounting.
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Confidence · HighDrawn from what drinkers consistently report on Vivino and Wine-Searcher, summarised in our own words. A crowd read across many tasters, not a single critic.
Confidence · MediumFrom the official Italian disciplinare for this denomination, cross-checked against the Ministry of Agriculture register.
Confidence · HighOur reading of the price, drawn from the disciplinare, public UK duty rates, and typical landed-cost benchmarks. Not a quote from the producer or a retailer.
Confidence · MediumStyle guidance for this kind of wine at this price point. Treat it as advice, not a forecast for the bottle in your hand.
Confidence · MediumLamaione is 100% Merlot, grown on the CastelGiocondo estate in Montalcino, Tuscany, and released as a Toscana IGT. Frescobaldi first made it in 1991 from Merlot planted on the estate's marine-clay soils.
Ripe blackberry and black cherry, with oak-driven tobacco, vanilla, coffee and cocoa and a balsamic, liquorice finish. The tannins are dense but velvety, and it is full-bodied at 14.5% alcohol.
From a strong year it ages 12 to 20 years. Two years in French oak barriques and a firm tannic frame mean the excellent 2015 and 2021 reward a decade or more, while the cooler 2014 is best drunk first.
Grilled and braised red meat. Its tannin and 14.5% alcohol suit Bistecca alla Fiorentina, brasato, lamb and game ragu, and aged pecorino. Avoid chilli heat and delicate raw seafood.
No. Lamaione is a 100% Merlot Toscana IGT from the same Frescobaldi estate, CastelGiocondo, that produces Brunello di Montalcino, but it is a separate varietal wine, not a Sangiovese Brunello.
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