La Massa La Massa Toscana 2019

"This is a little masterpiece at an affordable price.” – The Wine Advocate

Just to clarify...the “little” part of the whole “masterpiece” comparison by Wine Advocate is only referring to the price. This wine is juicy, elegant, round, and smooth – make no mistake...it just so happens to be the entry-level price point for the spectacular La Massa portfolio. And what a price! 96 POINTS from Lisa Perrotti-Brown – the former top dog and Robert Parker protégé at The Wine Advocate – plus 94 and 93 points from other top critics for this sangiovese blend from the heart of Chianti is truly admirable, but to have all that praise and still come in under $25?! That’s something else entirely.

We recently visited the incredible La Massa estate in the heart of Chianti Classico – overlooking the magnificent and revered valley of Conca d’Oro in Panzano. Giampaolo Motta, or as his friends lovingly call him, “Giampagne” (the man loves his Champagne), has been the visionary behind La Massa since its founding in 1992. He left the family’s leather goods business in Naples and ventured to Chianti to learn the art of winemaking. He developed a love for Bordeaux wines and journeyed there to further hone his craft before purchasing the 27 hectares of La Massa in Panzano – Italy’s first official region to be classified as fully organic, with every last producer farming according to organic practices. The land here had been farmed to vines since the 15th century, and the earliest wines of La Massa brought this property back to prominence almost immediately. His vineyard land is exceptionally diverse – with three distinct soil types that are well-suited to Bordeaux varietals (and completely unique for this area of Tuscany.) His dedication to plantings of varieties like cabernet sauvignon and merlot originally drew the ire of Chianti traditionalists, but after soil studies and maps of the region were created – his brashness was vindicated. This is some of the most unique land in all of Chianti.

But Giampaolo was far from finished disrupting the status quo. He joined up with an old friend from Bordeaux, the legendary Stephane Derenoncourt (whose consulting resume includes Clos Fourtet, Clos de l'Oratoire, Chateau Pavie-Macquin, Smith Haut Lafitte, Napa’s Rubicon Estate, and more...) beginning in 2008 to take the winemaking to the next level. And that has certainly been the case – with the best wines of the estate’s history coming over the past decade.

This 2019 is certainly to be numbered among them, and again, for this price point – simply a tremendous achievement! Half sangiovese, followed by 30% merlot, with the rest a mix of petit verdot and alicante bouschet. This is a fantastically balanced and exceptionally pretty wine – packed with delicate floral notes of lilacs, peonies, and rose petals. The wine deepens with black cherry and red currant notes, along with plenty of spice – ranging from sandalwood to clove, allspice, and smoky cinnamon. There’s a black olive, meaty savoriness to the finish, with a volcanic earth minerality that greatly resembles Bordeaux’s right bank.

The complexity is staggering, and one that keeps us coming back to the price...it is simply so rare to see the quality for the value metric this high for Tuscan wines of any sort. And I can report firsthand, having tasted the 1999 and 2011 vintages of this wine with “Giampagne” over lunch – these wines age better than you could imagine! We got all that we could...now it is your turn!

PAIRING IDEAS: Giampaolo’s friend and chef from Naples made us lunch at the winery and you can’t beat his pairing – an eye of round roast beef, marinated simply in olive oil and herbs, briefly seared, and then sliced paper thin and dressed with more olive oil, some quality balsamico, and fresh black pepper and sea salt. It was perfect.