Ornellaia
Massetino is the second wine of Masseto, the cult Merlot estate on the blue clay hill above Bolgheri. A Merlot-led Bordeaux blend with a touch of Cabernet Franc, aged in French barrique. Polished black fruit, cedar and sweet spice in a more open, ear
Drinker consensus on Vivino and Wine Enthusiast's 98-point note for the 2022 agree on a polished black-fruit, cedar and sweet-spice profile from Masseto's blue-clay Merlot.
Massetino opens on ripe blackberry and plum with the polished cedar, vanilla and coffee that 50 percent new French barrique gives Masseto's younger-vine fruit. Vivino drinkers most often log black fruit and oak, with leather and woodsmoke underneath. A lift of violet and dried tobacco signals the small Cabernet Franc portion of the blend.
Violet
Black cherry
Blackberry
Plum
Tobacco
Leather
Oak
Liquorice
VanillaMerlot grown on the blue Pliocene clay of the Masseto hill carries this: a deep, smooth core of black cherry and plum, full body and the warmth of a 15 to 15.5 percent vintage. Maceration of over three weeks on skins and twelve months in barrique build tannins that drinkers describe as firm but well integrated, with Cabernet Franc adding savoury, faintly herbal grip.
Long and sweet-spiced, closing on liquorice, cocoa and that cedar-and-leather frame from the French oak. The blue-clay freshness keeps the warm fruit from feeling heavy.
The second wine of Masseto, drawn from younger vines and parcels of the same Bolgheri hill, in a more open and earlier-drinking register than the grand vin. Vivino rates it 4.6 to 4.7 across more than twenty thousand ratings and Wine Enthusiast gave the 2022 a 98-point Classic score. A Super Tuscan collectors reach for when Masseto itself is out of range.
Production is tiny, so Massetino trades like a collectible: expect roughly 267 pounds and up across the 2017, 2022 and 2023 vintages we track from UK and EU merchants.
Strong on food, cellaring and occasion, weak on everyday value: this is a collector's Super Tuscan, not a midweek Merlot.
The Masseto name, blue-clay Bolgheri pedigree and four-figure-adjacent pricing make Massetino a true special-occasion and gifting Super Tuscan.
Twelve months in French barrique plus over three weeks on skins give the tannin and concentration for a decade-plus in bottle; Wine Enthusiast called the 2022 gorgeous now and better past 2030.
A full-bodied, structured Merlot and Cabernet Franc blend with the acidity and tannin to partner Tuscan grilled beef, game and braises, though too powerful for delicate plates.
At roughly 267 pounds and up it sits far above the Tuscan-red median, but as the second wine of Masseto it offers the estate's blue-clay Merlot pedigree at a fraction of the grand vin's price.
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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Bolgheri growing seasons drive the style here, from the hot, early-picked 2017 to the storm-relieved, cool-September 2022 that Wine Enthusiast rated 98 points.
The youngest Massetino in the range and the most tightly wound, built for the cellar rather than the table today. Vivino early voters place it among the top 7 percent of wines worldwide. Give it bottle age: the Merlot fruit and French-oak frame need a few years to settle, with the window opening around 2026.
A drought of roughly 75 days from late May was broken by summer storms that restored balance, and cool September nights set the aromatics. Massetino's Merlot came in from 6 September, the Cabernet Franc through to 9 October. Wine Enthusiast scored the 2022 Massetino 98 points, calling it no less dexterous than Masseto itself.
2017 was one of the hottest, driest seasons in recent Bolgheri history: a mild winter pushed budbreak two weeks early and a near-rainless summer kept berries small. Masseto picked Massetino's Merlot from 24 August, finishing in under a week to hold freshness and avoid over-ripeness, giving a concentrated, warm-vintage style now drinking well.
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.
The Masseto name, blue Pliocene clay terroir and twelve months in French barrique sit behind a wine that costs a fraction of the grand vin but still trades in the hundreds.
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.
Massetino is drawn from the same blue Pliocene clay hill above Bolgheri as Masseto, the world's most famous Merlot; the estate's reputation alone lifts the second wine into the low hundreds of pounds.
Output is extremely limited and sold on allocation, so the 2017, 2022 and 2023 trade like collectibles at roughly 267 pounds and up rather than at everyday Tuscan-red levels.
Twelve months in French oak barrique, about 50 percent new, plus three more months in wood after blending, adds real barrel and cellar cost to every bottle.
Grapes are picked by hand into small crates and each vineyard parcel is fermented separately with indigenous yeasts, a labour-intensive method that raises the cost per bottle.
As Masseto's second label from younger vines, Massetino sells for a fraction of Masseto itself, which routinely trades well into four figures.
UK still-wine duty of 2.67 pounds per bottle plus 20 percent VAT apply on top of the merchant price, adding tens of pounds at this price level.
Dishes that complement this wine
A 15 percent-plus, barrique-framed Bordeaux blend wants Tuscan grilled beef, game and braises; it overwhelms delicate plates and clashes with chilli heat.
The firm, barrique-built tannins of this Merlot and Cabernet Franc blend bind to the fat and char of grilled red meat, softening on the palate while the wine's freshness cuts through. A classic coastal-Tuscan pairing for a wine off the Masseto hill.
Try with: Fiorentina steak · Fillet steak · Sirloin steak · BBQ ribs · More pairings →
Full body and a warm, 15 percent-plus core match the richness of long-braised and game dishes without being overwhelmed. The Cabernet Franc lifts the wine's savoury, herbal side, which echoes the gaminess of pheasant and the depth of a Barolo braise.
Try with: Brasato al Barolo · Agnello Ragu Lucano · Roast Pheasant · More pairings →
Plum and black-cherry fruit plus structured tannin cut through the fat of roast lamb and pork, while the cedar and sweet-spice from French oak flatter the caramelised crust. Pour it with herb-roasted joints rather than delicate cuts.
Try with: Roast Lamb with Mint Sauce · Roast pork · Tandoori lamb chops
The wine's ripe black fruit and barrique sweetness balance the salt and crystalline bite of aged sheep's-milk cheese, while the tannin keeps the pairing fresh. A Tuscan pecorino with carasau bread is a natural foil for a Bolgheri red.
Try with: Pecorino sardo e pan carasau · Blue cheese · Stilton
Liquorice, tobacco and balsamic notes in the wine bridge to the dried-chilli and herb seasoning of southern Italian lamb cookery. The Merlot fruit cushions the heat of peperoni cruschi while the tannin frames the meat.
Try with: Agnello Cacio e Ova · Peperoni Cruschi · Roast pork · More pairings →
A 15 percent-plus, tannic, oak-framed Super Tuscan flattens delicate raw fish and amplifies chilli heat, leaving both the wine and the dish out of balance. Save this Merlot for red meat, not the sushi counter or a fiery curry.
Skip with: Sashimi · Nigiri Sushi · Aguachile · Tandoori lamb chops · Pairing guide →
With over three weeks on skins and a year in French oak, Massetino holds a decade-plus; Wine Enthusiast called the 2022 gorgeous now and better past 2031.
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.
Twelve months in French barrique plus over three weeks on skins give the tannin and concentration for a decade-plus in bottle; Wine Enthusiast called the 2022 gorgeous now and better past 2030.
£267.40 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, 15:45 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 · MediumMassetino is the second wine of Masseto, the cult Merlot estate on the blue-clay hill above Bolgheri in coastal Tuscany. It is a Merlot-led Bordeaux blend with a small share of Cabernet Franc, first released with the 2017 vintage in 2019, thirty years after the first Masseto.
Massetino is made mainly from Merlot with a small portion of Cabernet Franc, roughly 90 percent Merlot and 10 percent Cabernet Franc in recent vintages such as 2022. The fruit comes from the younger vines and additional parcels of the same Masseto hill that produces the grand vin.
Each parcel is vinified separately with spontaneous, indigenous-yeast fermentation, macerated on the skins for over three weeks, then aged about twelve months in French oak barrique, around half new, with a further three months in wood after the final blend. It is sealed under cork and estate-bottled at Masseto.
Massetino is the more open, earlier-drinking expression of the estate, drawn from younger vines, while Masseto itself is the flagship single-vineyard Merlot. Wine Enthusiast scored the 2022 Massetino 98 points, calling it no less impressive than its elder sibling but more approachable in its youth.
Pour Massetino with Tuscan grilled beef and bistecca, slow braises such as brasato al Barolo, roast lamb and game like pheasant, and aged pecorino. Its 15 percent-plus body and barrique tannins overwhelm raw fish and clash with chilli heat, so keep it away from the sushi counter.
The 2017 is drinking well now, the 2022 rewards cellaring towards 2031 and beyond, and the youngest 2023 needs a few years to settle. Across vintages it holds for a decade or more thanks to its structured Merlot fruit and French-oak frame.
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