SOLD OUT! The Le Macchiole Bolgheri Rosso is year in and year out one of the world’s great Super Tuscan values.
Despite challenging weather conditions, the top producers crafted exquisite wines. Unfortunately, production levels are way down, and we were only able to score 5 cases of the 2017 Le Macchiole Bolgheri Rosso.
2017 Le Macchiole Bolgheri Rosso
Top Super Tuscan Value in the World
SOLD OUT
Vintage 2017 was less than ideal, but the cream of the crop always rises to the top, especially so when times are tough. And Le Macchiole is certainly one of the stars of Bolgheri, aka Super Tuscan Ground Zero. Record-breaking heat and drought stressed vines to the max, and more dainty grapes like Sangiovese suffered. But the Bordeaux and Rhone varietals (Cabernet Sauvignon and Franc, Merlot and Syrah) yielded some of the top wines in the region.
Founded in 1983, Le Macchiole helped establish Bolgheri as one of Tuscany’s most prestigious zones. Regarded as ground zero for the Super Tuscan movement, Le Macchiole’s Cinzia Merli and her team craft some of Tuscany’s top wines. Interestingly, they do so without the use of any Sangiovese, Tuscany’s most famous grape. Cinzia feels that Bolgheri is too warm for Sangiovese, so she focuses entirely on Bordeaux and Rhone varieties. These grapes love the warm and sunny days of coastal Tuscany, and they ripen fully, yielding wines of class and sophistication.
And this Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Syrah blend is one of the great values of the vintage. The Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc contribute structure along with notes of dark fruit, complex spice, and eucalyptus. The Merlot adds a softer, more supple notes to the wine along with head blueberry and plum flavors. And the Syrah lends hints of plum and black pepper. Trust me folks, it all adds up to a triumphant bottle of wine to drink now or over the next 5-7 years.
If this year’s vintage goes over as well as last year’s version (and I predict it will), this one will be sold out in no time. Like I said before, 5 cases is it this year. When you work with products of nature, that’s just the way it goes sometimes.
Josh Spurling
Owner, Operator, Wine Monger
Table Wine Asheville