The single vineyard, 100% barrel-fermented Merlot, Masseto, is stunning in both the 1992 and 1993 vintages. The 1993 Masseto reveals a deeper, more saturated ruby/purple color, plenty of sweet, toasty oak, gobs of fruit, full body, plenty of suppleness, and gorgeously pure, sweet fruit. In a blind tasting, it would be easy to mistake for a top-notch, right bank Bordeaux. The 1993 is still youthful, but accessible. It can be drunk now and over the next 10-12 years. It should come as no surprise that this wine is Italy’s greatest Merlot, and is in a class with the first-growths of Bordeaux. The Marchese Lodovico Antinori makes these luxuriously fruity, rich wines from his vineyards in Bolgheri, an area not far from the famed Sassicaia. With the help of Bordeaux’s brilliant oenologist, Michel Rolland, these wines seem to be going from strength to strength.

Aug 1997, by Robert Parker