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Le Macchiole

Bolgheri Rosso 2020

Bolgheri Rosso DOC

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Bolgheri Rosso is a refined, irresistible blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Syrah, serving as an introduction to the estate. The wine is, frankly, almost too good at the price. All the intensive artisanal work that Le Macchiole carries out in its vineyards and cellars benefits this wine, and despite more availability than its Paleo Rosso, Messorio and Scrio siblings, it sells out nearly as quickly.

Bolgheri Rossi is also the youngest of Le Macchiole’s wines, first produced in 2004. The objective: to make a Bordeaux blend, but typical of Bolgheri.

VINEYARD

Bolgheri Rosso is sourced from four of the estate’s five vineyards: Puntone (1994), Vignone (1999), Casa Nuova (1998), I Sommi (2015). The 2019 vintage is 50% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Syrah.

WINEMAKING

The wine is fermented for 15 days in stainless steel tanks and then aged for 10 months in a combination of oak and concrete (70% in second and third passage barrique and 30% in concrete).

VINTAGE

The year started out with a mild winter followed by a brief period of cold weather and then a rapid rise in temperatures, leading to bud-break in the majority of the vineyards. Spring saw two frosts during the month of April, and then regular precipitations followed until the middle of June leading to abundant vegetative development. Temperatures were not excessively hot in summer but it was dry and windy up until harvest which was characterized by significant temperature variations between day and night and hot days with no rain, except for the last ten days of harvest when the first autumn rains began. The Merlot and Syrah harvests were irregular and included days in which nothing was harvested, between the first and third weeks of September. The harvest of Cabernet grapes, on the other hand, was more sudden, between the third and fourth weeks of September, thanks to the autumn rains.

TASTING NOTE

Intense fresh fruity notes on the nose and a slimmer texture, with firm yet very gentle tannins and an acid backbone that brings an amazing balance to the wine.

Color

Red

Grape Varieties

Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah

Appellation

Bolgheri Rosso DOC

Alcohol

14%

Suggested Retail Price

$33.00

Reviews

90

"Attractive fruity wine"

Vinous - March 16, 2022

"An attractive, fruity wine to drink now and over the next handful of years, while the red berry fruit and floral notes remain vibrant. The Rosso is especially understated in 2020."- AG 3/2022

93

"This is a powerhouse wine"

Wine Advocate - August 1, 2022

"The Le Macchiole 2020 Bolgheri Rosso is 50% Merlot, 20% Syrah, 15% Cabernet Franc, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon. This is a powerhouse wine that has become a steady little engine for the estate economy, growing from a production of 36,000 bottles to 140,000 bottles made annually today. This vintage does a terrific balancing act with dark fruit and concentration on the one hand and an accessible easy-drinking personality on the other. Black fruit cedes to baked brioche, spice and toasted aniseed. The wine finishes for 10 months in a combination of second, third and fourth-year barrique, and about 30% of the total goes into cement. The finish is polished and fresh, and you get good value."- M.L 7/2022

93

"Deliciously round and fruity"

James Suckling - August 1, 2022

"Grilled herbs, orange zest, black plums, cherries, peach stones and peppercorns on the nose. Medium-bodied with creamy tannins. It’s deliciously round and fruity, yet firm, with a long and polished finish. Merlot, cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon and syrah. So drinkable already."- J.S 7/2022

92

"Earth and Black Pepper"

Wine Spectator - August 23, 2022

"Dense in texture, this red reveals plum and black cherry fruit, with grace notes of earth and black pepper that add depth. The finish offers well-integrated tannins. Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc.."- B.S 8/2022

90

"Crushed rose petal and refreshing berries"

Jeb Dunnuck - February 3, 2023

"The nose of the 2020 Bolgheri Rosso is ripe with fresh red plum, red apple, and cedar, and the wine is medium to full bodied, with silky, fine tannins and fresh, dusty earth. It offers freshness in its crunchy acidity and long finish, and it is floral with notes of crushed rose petal and refreshing berries." - A.F 1/2023

Trade Materials

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Other Wines by this Producer

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Paleo Bianco

Bolgheri

First produced in 1991, Paleo Bianco is a silky, mineral-driven blend of Chardonnay (90%) and Sauvignon Blanc (10%). Perfect for pairing with seafood, this white is well suited to a medium to long aging in bottle.

Scrio

Toscana IGT

Scrio was born in 1994, out of Eugenio Campolmi's wish to produce a wine which would best express his vision of Syrah, his favorite grape variety. As all Le Macchiole wines, Scrio has an original personality and stands apart from Syrah grown in France or anywhere else - it is an extraordinarily compelling meld of deep and velvety Mediterranean fruit with cool climate aromatics and detail. Given the extremely limited production, Scrio is decidedly a hidden gem.

Messorio

Toscana IGT

Messorio, a Merlot monovarietal, is the winery’s crown jewel. Its initial vintage was 1994, and since then it has received extraordinary acclaim, including a 100-point score from the Wine Spectator for the 2004 vintage. The name Messorio refers to the ancient Tuscan practice of wheat harvesting, the most important time of the year in the Bolgheri countryside - once it referred to wheat; these days, it is all about grape harvesting.

Paleo Rosso

Toscana IGT

Paleo Rosso has been called Italy's landmark expression of Cabernet Franc. This grape variety is growing internationally as a distinct bottling, but Bolgheri has proven to be the single best place in the world to do so. The Mediterranean climate and surroundings result in a wine of extraordinarily expressive, sensual, and textural fruits and savory spices.