La Massa
Giampaolo Motta's 'Grand Vin' from Panzano in Chianti: a Bordeaux blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot on schist and clay. Bold, tannic, layered with blackberry, tobacco and leather, aged 18 months in French oak to cellar a decade.
Tenuta La Massa's flagship is a Cabernet-led Bordeaux blend grown on skeleton-rich clay and schist in the Conca d'Oro. Eighteen months in French oak, the first ten to eleven on the lees, build the leather, tobacco and dark-fruit profile that Vivino's 4,800-plus drinkers know it for.
Deeply coloured and brooding, the nose leads with blackberry and dark plum, the Cabernet-and-Merlot core of this Panzano blend. Sweet French oak adds tobacco, vanilla and cedar, while bottle age brings leather, dried violet and a truffle-edged earthiness. Vivino's drinkers single out black fruit, oak and earthy-leather notes most often.
Violet
Blackberry
Blackcurrant
Plum
Tobacco
Leather
Liquorice
VanillaBold and full, with the firm, finely grained tannins of Cabernet Sauvignon and a Petit Verdot backbone. Skeleton-rich clay and schist soils show in the savoury, mineral grip, and 14.5% alcohol carries ripe blackberry and liquorice fruit. Ten to eleven months on the lees with batonnage soften the structure without blunting the fresh Tuscan acidity.
The finish is long and savoury, closing on tobacco, leather and a fine-grained tannic pull from the eighteen months in French oak. Young vintages show a warming alcohol lift that decanting settles.
Tenuta La Massa's 'Grand Vin' is a serious, age-worthy Super Tuscan that Vivino drinkers rate 4.4 from more than 4,800 ratings, prized for bold fruit and complexity though some flag its firm tannins and 14.5% warmth when young. It sits at the top of the estate's range and rewards a decade in the cellar.
Giorgio Primo is a small-volume 'Grand Vin' from Tenuta La Massa, so each release sells through quickly. UK prices sit around 82 to 87 pounds a bottle for the 2019, 2020 and 2021, with the older 2019 now scarcer than the current releases.
Scored against six ItalianWines dimensions, Giorgio Primo is a meat-table and special-occasion red first: high marks for food and cellaring, lower for everyday and beginner drinking given its 85-pound price and structured, oak-framed style.
Eighteen months in French oak, ripe Petit Verdot tannin and ten-plus-year longevity make it a genuine cellar wine, especially the 2021.
A prestige 'Grand Vin' from Tenuta La Massa at fine-wine pricing; a natural choice for a special meal.
Bold, firmly tannic Bordeaux blend with fresh Tuscan acidity; built for chargrilled beef, game and aged cheese, though too structured for light dishes.
At around 85 pounds it is fairly priced for a benchmark Super Tuscan (Vivino 4.4 from 4,800-plus ratings), but it is a splurge rather than a value buy.
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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Panzano enjoyed a run of strong years. 2019 was warm and balanced, giving a structured, age-worthy Giorgio Primo; 2020 came in fresh and balanced off reduced yields; 2021 was vibrant and firm, built for the long haul. All three reward a few years in the cellar.
A vibrant, firm 2021 with healthy fruit and a fine balance of structure and acidity; the most age-worthy of the three, rewarding patience in the cellar.
Reduced yields off a mild winter gave a fresh, balanced 2020 with notable colour and bright acidity; a touch lighter than 2019 but well-structured for medium-term cellaring.
A warm, balanced Tuscan vintage giving a structured, deeply coloured Giorgio Primo with ripe blackberry fruit and firm tannins; drink with food now or cellar to 2036.
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.
Giampaolo Motta took over La Massa in 1992 and built Giorgio Primo as a Bordeaux-variety statement from Panzano in Chianti. Because Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot fall outside the Chianti Classico rulebook, the estate bottles its top wine as Toscana IGT rather than compromise the blend.
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.
Single-parcel Cabernet, Merlot and Petit Verdot grown at 315 to 460m and 6,250 vines per hectare yield concentrated but small volumes, which lifts the cost of every bottle.
Ten to eleven months sur lie with batonnage, then seven to eight more in barrel, tie up French oak and cellar space for nearly two years before Giorgio Primo is released.
Hand selection, organic-farmed fruit and native-yeast fermentation raise labour and risk in vineyard and cellar versus conventional, higher-volume winemaking.
Giorgio Primo is Tenuta La Massa's top cuvee, above the La Massa and Carla 6 bottlings, and is benchmarked against Super Tuscan peers, which sets its roughly 85-pound UK shelf price.
Bottling as Toscana IGT lets La Massa use international varieties without DOCG yield or ageing mandates, so the price reflects the producer's own choices, not appellation rules.
HMRC still-wine duty of 2.67 pounds a bottle plus 20% VAT adds roughly 17 pounds to an 85-pound UK price before the retailer's margin.
Dishes that complement this wine
This is a wine for protein and fat. Firm Cabernet tannins and 14.5% alcohol want chargrilled bistecca, braised lamb, game and aged Pecorino; the earthy, leather-and-truffle side bridges into porcini. Keep it away from delicate fish and chilli heat.
Giorgio Primo's leather, tobacco and forest-floor tones, the earthy side Vivino drinkers flag most, bridge straight into mushroom and truffle. Ripe blackberry fruit keeps the match generous, and fresh acidity stops the wine drying out against the dish.
Try with: Porcini mushroom risotto · Fiorentina steak · Agnello Ragu Lucano · More pairings →
Firm Cabernet-led tannins and 14.5% alcohol cut through the charred fat of rare-grilled beef, while bright Tuscan acidity resets the palate between bites. The wine's body matches the weight of the meat without being flattened by it.
Try with: Ribeye steak · Sirloin steak · Fillet steak · More pairings →
Eighteen months in French oak and ripe Petit Verdot tannin give the body to stand up to slow-braised lamb and venison. The savoury, leather-edged profile echoes the gaminess, and the tannin scrubs the fat of the braise.
Try with: Lamb shank · Lamb chops · Venison Stew · More pairings →
Tannin and acidity scrub the fat and salt of aged Pecorino Toscano and Parmigiano, while the wine's oak-derived tobacco echoes the nutty rind. Blackberry fruit keeps the pairing from turning austere.
Try with: Aged Pecorino Toscano · Parmigiano Reggiano · Pecorino sardo e pan carasau · More pairings →
Vivino drinkers reach for cured meats, and the logic holds: the wine's acidity and tannin offset the salt and fat of finocchiona and prosciutto, while dark-plum fruit matches their savoury richness.
Try with: Cured meat platter · Finocchiona · Prosciutto
The tannin, sweet oak and 14.5% alcohol flatten delicate white fish and amplify chilli heat, turning spicy and sweet-sour dishes harsh. This is a wine for red meat, not for sushi or a fiery curry.
Skip with: Sushi · Thai green curry · Sweet and sour pork · Oysters · Pairing guide →
Built to age, Giorgio Primo holds for ten years or more from a strong vintage. The 18-month French-oak frame and ripe Petit Verdot tannins need time to settle, so the 2021 in particular rewards patience over early drinking.
Peak around 2030. Best in the years above; holds without falling over either side.
Eighteen months in French oak, ripe Petit Verdot tannin and ten-plus-year longevity make it a genuine cellar wine, especially the 2021.
£82.20 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 · MediumGiorgio Primo is a Bordeaux blend, led by Cabernet Sauvignon (around 50%) with Merlot (around 40%) and a Petit Verdot accent (around 10%). It carries no Sangiovese, which sets it apart from La Massa's Chianti-rooted wines.
No. Although Tenuta La Massa sits in the Conca d'Oro of Panzano in Chianti, Giorgio Primo is bottled as Toscana IGT because its international Bordeaux blend falls outside the Chianti Classico rules. It is the estate's flagship 'Grand Vin'.
It cellars comfortably for ten years or more. The 2019, 2020 and 2021 are structured enough to drink from release with decanting, but firm tannins and 14.5% alcohol reward five to fifteen years in bottle.
Expect a bold, deeply coloured red: blackberry and dark plum fruit framed by tobacco, leather and sweet oak, with firm tannins and fresh acidity. Vivino drinkers rate it 4.4 from more than 4,800 ratings.
Reach for chargrilled bistecca, slow-cooked lamb and game, porcini risotto, or aged Pecorino Toscano. The wine's tannin and structure need protein and fat, so it overpowers delicate fish and fiery, spicy dishes.
Serve at 18 to 20C in a large balloon glass, and decant young vintages for an hour. The extra air softens the Petit Verdot grip and opens the leather and truffle notes.
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