Azienda Agricola Le Macchiole
Le Macchiole's flagship Bolgheri red and the first 100% Cabernet Franc in the zone. Paleo Rosso ages 16 months in new oak, conical cask and amphora, layering blackcurrant, tobacco and graphite over deep, fine-grained tannins. A cellar wine near £100.
Vivino drinkers, 4.4 from over 13,000 ratings, keep returning to the same notes: tobacco, dark chocolate and blackcurrant with a leafy Franc lift. Sixteen months in new oak, conical cask and stoneware amphora set the frame.
Le Macchiole's Cabernet Franc opens on blackcurrant and blackberry, then the savoury register Franc is known for: tobacco, pencil shaving and a leafy, green-tea edge. The 16 months in new oak, conical cask and stoneware amphora add dark chocolate and espresso rather than sweet vanilla.
Coffee
Blackberry
Blackcurrant
Green pepper
Tobacco
Tar
Leather
Liquorice
ChocolateFull bodied and deep, with the thick yet fine-grained tannins drinkers single out on Vivino. Cassis and dark plum run alongside graphite and liquorice, and the 800-grams-per-vine yields and concrete-tank fermentation show in the concentration.
Long and savoury, with the amphora and new-oak ageing showing as espresso, dark chocolate and an iron-like mineral grip that asks for the few years in bottle critics advise.
Le Macchiole's flagship and the first 100% Cabernet Franc in Bolgheri, Paleo Rosso sits at the serious end of Tuscan reds. A 4.4 Vivino average from more than 13,000 ratings and critic scores in the mid-90s for 2020 and 2021 mark it as a cellar bottle, not a midweek pour.
Three vintages are stocked in the UK right now, the 2020, 2021 and 2022, at roughly £98 to £117 a bottle across three retailers.
A premium, age-worthy Bolgheri red: strong for food and the cellar, and priced as an occasion bottle near £100.
Mid-90s critic scores, firm tannin and 16 months in new oak and amphora give Paleo Rosso a decade or more in the cellar from a good vintage.
A benchmark Bolgheri Cabernet Franc near £100 with mid-90s scores: a special-occasion, gifting and cellar bottle.
Firm Cabernet Franc tannin and savoury, herb-edged fruit pair with charred beef, lamb ragu and aged pecorino; a structured red built for the table rather than sipping alone.
At about £98 it sits near the going rate for a Bolgheri icon of this standing. You pay for the name, the cellaring and mid-90s scores, so it is fair 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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Le Macchiole's own harvest reports separate the years: 2020's cool nights and wide diurnal swing, 2021's dry, structured finish, and 2022's late-August rain that rescued ripeness.
A hot, dry summer rescued by rain from mid-August, which restored yields and ripeness in the reds. A riper, more open style with earlier access than 2020 or 2021.
A dry finish to the season gave a tight, concentrated Paleo that critics rate near 96 points. Especially intense and direct, it needs a few years in bottle to open.
A fresh Bolgheri year with cool nights and a wide day-to-night swing into a late-September Cabernet harvest. Critics average around 94 points; firmly structured for the cellar.
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.
Bottled since 1989 and mono-varietal since 2001, Paleo Rosso was the first 100% Cabernet Franc in Bolgheri. Yields sit near 800 grams per vine on the Casa Nuova and Vignone plots.
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.
Le Macchiole holds Paleo Rosso to roughly 800 grams of fruit per vine on the Casa Nuova and Vignone plots; low per-plant yields concentrate cost into every bottle.
New barrels each vintage, plus conical-cask and stoneware-amphora ageing, are costly cooperage that pushes Paleo well above a tank-aged Toscana IGT.
Certified organic since 2002, with roughly twenty selective passes through the rows; that labour sits behind the £98-plus shelf price.
As Bolgheri's first 100% Cabernet Franc, scoring in the mid-90s, demand keeps Paleo Rosso near £100 against far cheaper Toscana IGT reds.
UK still-wine duty of £2.67 a bottle plus 20% VAT adds roughly £19 to a £98 bottle before any retailer margin.
The IGT framework lets the estate choose blend and ageing without a mandated disciplinare, so the price reflects Le Macchiole's choices rather than rule-driven cost.
Dishes that complement this wine
The firm tannin and herb-edged dark fruit of Le Macchiole's Cabernet Franc want fat and umami: charred beef, lamb ragu and aged sheep's cheese.
Cabernet Franc's firm tannin scrubs the fat and char off a rare bistecca, while the wine's body matches the meat's weight. Salt and a charred crust soften the grip further.
Try with: Fiorentina steak · Tagliata di manzo · Grilled ribeye · More pairings →
A long-cooked lamb or boar ragu brings umami and fat that the wine's body and savoury dark fruit meet head on. The tannin keeps a rich, slow-cooked sauce from cloying.
Try with: Agnello Ragu Lucano · Pappardelle al cinghiale · Wild boar ragu · More pairings →
The tannin and acidity cut the fat and salt of a mature pecorino, and the wine's leathery, savoury edge echoes the cheese's nutty depth rather than fighting it.
Try with: Pecorino sardo e pan carasau · Pecorino Toscano stagionato · Aged Parmigiano · More pairings →
Paleo's leafy, herbal Cabernet Franc note bridges straight to rosemary, sage and fennel on a roast. The aromatic link makes the pairing feel seamless while tannin handles the fat.
Try with: Porchetta · Rosemary-roasted lamb · Arista di maiale · More pairings →
Slow braises layer salt, umami and gelatine that the wine's structure and dark fruit balance. The savoury finish lengthens against a reduced, meaty sauce.
Try with: Ossobuco alla Milanese · Brasato · Peposo dell'Impruneta · More pairings →
The tannin and oak overwhelm delicate white fish and shellfish, turning them metallic. Chilli heat amplifies the tannin and alcohol, so fiery dishes leave the wine bitter and hot.
Skip with: Sushi · Grilled sole · Vindaloo · Sweet-and-sour pork · Pairing guide →
Critics rate the 2020 and 2021 in the mid-90s and advise a few years in bottle; the structure carries Paleo Rosso a decade or more from the vintage.
Peak around 2031. Best in the years above; holds without falling over either side.
Mid-90s critic scores, firm tannin and 16 months in new oak and amphora give Paleo Rosso a decade or more in the cellar from a good vintage.
£98.40 is the lowest tracked offer for the current vintage and we have no signal of further discounting.
Read directly from each retailer’s public product page once a day. Last refresh: 7 Jun 2026, 14:46 BST. We do not hold stock and we do not accept payment for placement.
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 · MediumYes. Paleo Rosso has been a 100% Cabernet Franc since 2001, when Le Macchiole made it the first mono-varietal Cabernet Franc in Bolgheri. Earlier vintages, from its 1989 debut, were a Bordeaux-style blend.
It is a Toscana IGT from Le Macchiole's estate at Bolgheri, on the Tuscan coast. The fruit comes off the estate's Casa Nuova, Vignone and Ulivino vineyards, farmed organically since 2002.
The Cabernet Franc ferments and macerates for 20 to 25 days in concrete tanks, then ages around 16 months in new oak barrels, a conical cask and a stoneware amphora before bottling.
It is built to age. Critics score recent vintages in the mid-90s and suggest a few years in bottle before drinking; well stored, it holds for a decade or more from the vintage.
Full bodied and savoury: blackcurrant and blackberry with tobacco, dark chocolate, leather and a leafy Cabernet Franc lift, carried by thick but fine-grained tannins. Vivino drinkers rate it 4.4 from over 13,000 ratings.
Live UK listings cover the 2020, 2021 and 2022 vintages, currently around £98 to £117 a bottle across three retailers. The 2020 and 2021 are the higher-scoring years; 2022 is a riper, more open style.
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