La Massa Tuscan Trio
“Great vintages seldom come in pairs in Tuscany. . . That’s why 2006 and 2007 are so exceptional for Italy’s most famous wine region. Every Tuscan area seems to have made outstanding wines in both vintages.” – The Wine Spectator
2006 and 2007 were indeed excellent vintages in Tuscany, and today we’re excited to offer you a trio of wines from the esteemed estate, Fattoria La Massa. A perennial winner of Italy’s most prestigious wine honor, the Gambero Rosso Tre Bicchieri rating, La Massa continues to ratchet up the quality of its super Tuscan offerings and these three wines reflect the fruit of those labors.
If you like big, Bordeaux-styled wines built to last, then Giorgio Primo is for you. Absolutely loaded with dark fruit and featuring ample texture, this is a wine that will blossom in your cellar, providing years of drinking enjoyment. The 2007 Giorgio Primo ($63.99) achieved magnificent expression, earning 97 points from The Wine Spectator – its highest score ever and also the highest rated Tuscan wine for the price. In fact, only two other wines from Tuscany earned higher scores (98 points) and these both retail well over $100! It would be a special experience to taste the 2007 alongside the 2006 Giorgio Primo ($48.99, WA/WS 94 points) as this was the last vintage to include sangiovese in the blend.
And if you’re in the market for a little weeknight Tuscan sun, check out the well-priced 2007 La Massa Toscana Red at only $22.99. La Massa Toscana was recently named “Wine Of The Week” by the LA Times, having already been lauded with 91 point scores from Robert Parker and The Wine Spectator.
So whether you’re looking for a great, everyday Tuscan wine to spice up Tuesday night’s pasta dinner or something for un’occasione speciale, one of these jewels from La Massa will surely fit the bill. Enjoy!
Pre-Arrival: Arrives Late November 2009
ITALY – TUSCANY
2007 La Massa ‘Giorgio Primo’ Proprietary Red Blend- SALE $63.99 (Reg. $69.99)
The Wine Spectator, Oct 2009, 97 Points: “Dark and brooding color. Intense aromas of lead pencil, blackberries, black cherries and licorice. Full-bodied, with velvety and polished tannins. Vanilla, berry and currants on the finish. Powerful and complex. Built like a brick house. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot. Best after 2013. 1,750 cases made.”
Robert Parker, Aug 2009, 91-94 Points: “The 2007 Giorgio Primo (from barrel) is 50% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Petit Verdot aged in 100% new oak with frequent batonnage. It is a big, rich wine loaded with vibrant dark fruit, violets, graphite and minerals, all of which come together in a richly-textured, sensual style. The wine possesses great balance and is very promising at this stage. This is a very Bordeaux-like Giorgio Primo.”
2006 La Massa ‘Giorgio Primo’ Proprietary Red Blend- SALE $48.99, (Reg. $52.99)
The Wine Spectator, Oct 2008, 94 Points: “Offers blackberry, toasty oak and milk chocolate aromas. Full-bodied, soft and velvety, with a long, rich finish. Concentrated and pretty. Layered and serious. Best after 2011. 2,150 cases made.”
Robert Parker, Aug 2009, 94 Points: “The 2006 Giorgio Primo is a totally different animal. It is a powerful, rich and intense wine loaded with dark fruit, earthiness, tobacco, tar and smoke, all of which come to life on a structured frame. Despite its size, the wine reveals tons of clarity and precision, all it needs is a few years to come together. In 2006 Giorgio Primo is 30% Sangiovese, 30% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Petit Verdot. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2021.”
2007 La Massa Toscana Proprietary Red Blend- $22.99
L.A. Times, Oct 2009: “Wine Of The Week – Los Angeles Times, October 21, 2009: “This is a beautiful Tuscan blend of 70% Sangiovese with 15% each Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon from Giampaolo Motta in Panzano in Chianti, Italy. Luscious and velvety, it tastes like ripe, dark cherries with touches of tobacco and earth. The brilliant thing is that this bottle doesn’t carry the price tag of a Super Tuscan. It costs less than some top Chiantis. With its smooth, yet firm tannins, it’s perfect for a rich ragù. Or meats from the grill — this is the one to pour with a big 2-inch-thick bistecca. Put some halved fingerlings in the oven with a splash of olive oil, sauté up some cavolo nero or kale, and dinner’s on. A vegetarian alternative: pasta e fagioli with thick slabs of grilled bread.”
Robert Parker, Aug 2009, 91 Points: “The 2007 La Massa reveals unusual harmony and grace. This expansive, generous La Massa offers plenty of perfumed red fruit, licorice, new leather and spices in a seamless, opulent style. The wine’s balance and sheer class are impeccable. In 2007 La Massa is 70% Sangiovese, 20% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon that spent 12 months in oak, 10% new. La Massa remains one of the top relative values in Tuscany. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2017.”
The Wine Spectator, Oct 2009, 91 Points: “Delicate, subtle aromas of Indian spices, berries and flowers follow through to a full body, with fine, silky tannins and a fresh, caressing finish. Sangiovese, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Best after 2011. 8,300 cases made.”
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Robert Parker, Oct 2009, 100 Points: “”No Hommage a Jacques Perrin was made in 2008, but the 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape Hommage a Jacques Perrin is an utterly perfect wine. Composed of 60% Mourvedre, 20% Syrah, and the rest Counoise and Grenache, this prodigious effort boasts an inky/blue/purple color to the rim in addition to an exceptional bouquet of camphor, roasted meats, blueberries, black cherries, black currants, truffles, beef blood, pepper, and incense. The sumptuous aromatics are followed by a wine of compelling intensity, full-bodied power, perfect balance, laser-like focus, and a finish that lasts more than a minute. The 2007’s texture reminds me of the 1998 Jacques Perrin, and the freshness of the fruit and explosive aromatics are to die for. There are only 500 cases of this legend in the making, but for those lucky enough to find any, it will last for 40-60 years.”
Robert Parker, Oct 2009, 90 Points: “The dense ruby/purple 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape (90% Grenache and 10% Syrah) is very sexy and rich, with a beautiful nose of blueberry, blackberry, charcoal, and tapenade. Fabulously concentrated, with silky tannins and a layered, rich mouthfeel, this stunning effort is already irresistible, and should drink well for a decade or more.”
Robert Parker, Oct 2009, 96 Points: “The 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape Les Origines (50% Grenache, 30% Mourvedre, and 20% Syrah aged in small new oak barrels) is somewhat of an anomaly with such an amount of new oak, but it never seems to show given the wine’s concentration and richness. This may be the estate’s finest example of this cuvee, which generally represents 1,200-1,500 cases, all from their holdings in the northern sector of the appellation. A saturated purple color is accompanied by aromas of smoke, camphor, creme de cassis, licorice, and blueberries, amazing concentration, a full-bodied texture, and a stunningly long finish. The tannins are present, but silky, and the vintage’s freshness and vibrant fruit are evident. Powerful and loaded with substance, but at the same time endearingly elegant and ethereal, it will benefit from another 2-3 years of bottle age, and should drink well for 15+.ruit. Finishes long and clean, but also a little dry, with mounting tannins.”
The Wine Spectator, Nov 2009, 96 points: “Shows the ripeness of the vintage, with a touch more intensity than most, as a wide range of inviting blueberry, plum, fig and boysenberry flavors are spiked with sweet spice, graphite and licorice notes. The long, rounded finish has great buried grip. Drink now through 2030. 450 cases made. –JM.”
Robert Parker, Oct 2009: “The deeply-colored 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape is a blend of 55% Grenache, 30% Syrah, and 15% Mourvedre aged 80% in tank and 20% in small barrels. The 2007 is the finest traditional Chateauneuf since the glorious 1967. Its dense ruby/purple color is followed by a sensational perfume of kirsch, cassis liqueur, plums, licorice, roasted herbs, and meat juices. Seriously endowed, full-bodied, broad, savory, and layered, this is a huge, rich, massive wine that will benefit from 2-3 years of cellaring, and last for two decades or more. A sleeper of the vintage, it is one of the region’s best bargains if measuring dollars per points.”
The Wine Spectator, Nov 2009, 90 Points: “An elegant, stylish version, with mulled red cherry and red currant fruit hanging gracefully through the tea-, sandalwood- and mineral-infused finish. Nice latent grip checks in at the very end. Drink now through 2019. 1,965 cases made. –JM”
Robert Parker, Oct 2009, 95 Points: “The 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee La Cote Ronde (a blend of equal parts Grenache and Syrah from 60-year-old vines, with the Syrah enjoying malolactic fermentation in barrel and aging in new oak) possesses smoky, roasted herb, seaweed wrapper, licorice, cassis, and black cherry characteristics. The oak component is beautifully integrated, and the wine has superb concentration, a full-bodied style, and a true Chateauneuf du Pape personality in spite of the new oak. It should drink well for 15+ years.”
Robert Parker, Oct 2009, 94 Points: “The fact that there are nearly 6,500 cases of the 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape, a great sleeper of the vintage, should ensure that many consumers will have the chance to taste this extraordinary effort. It is a blend of 75% Grenache, 15% Syrah, and the rest Mourvedre, Cinsault, Muscardin, and Vaccarase, all from 70-year-old vines, aged in tank (the Grenache) and small barrels and demi-muids. Its dense plum/ruby/purple color is followed by a rich, sumptuous bouquet of crushed dried flowers, sweet black cherry and blackberry fruit, a voluptuous mouthfeel, broad, deep, concentrated flavors, and unbelievable purity, depth, richness, freshness, and vibrancy (a hallmark of this special vintage). Accessible and palate saturating, but never heavy or overbearing, this amazing wine should drink well for 15 or more years.”
Robert Parker, Oct 2008, 94-96 Points: “A 100% Grenache cuvee from the sandy soils of a 106-year-old, biodynamically farmed La Crau vineyard, and aged in both foudre and tank, the 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Speciale is amazing. Abundant notes of melted licorice, kirsch liqueur, and flowers is followed by a full-bodied, seamlessly constructed wine with sensational purity, texture, depth, and length. The bad news is there are only 2,000 bottles. This 2007 should drink well for two decades or more. Michel Tardieu, assisted by the brilliant oenologist, Philippe Cambie, has fashioned gorgeous low-end Cotes du Rhones that merit serious attention.”
The Wine Spectator, Oct 2009, 93 Points: “Fresh and driven, with a delicious core of intense blackberry and raspberry fruit laid over licorice-tinged structure, followed by a long finish of spice and graphite. Nicely focused from beginning to end. Drink now through 2020. –JM”
Robert Parker, Oct 2009, 91 Points: “The 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape, a sleeper of the vintage, is one of the finest traditional cuvees they have made. Its dark ruby/purple color is followed by a medium to full-bodied wine revealing classic Provencal aromas of pepper, garrigue, black cherries, plums, and a hint of earth. Pure, broad, and savory with silky tannins and a lush personality, this fruit-filled Chateauneuf is ideal for drinking over the next 10-12 years.”
Robert Parker, Oct 2009, 95 Points: “While the beautiful 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape is already accessible, it will benefit from 2-3 years of cellaring, and should last for two decades or more. It exhibits an inky/ruby/purple color, a great texture, and a gorgeous nose of boysenberries, blueberries, blackberries, acacia flowers, licorice, and incense. There is wonderful freshness and vibrancy (because of the good acids) as well as a terrific finish. Jean-Paul Dauman is one of a handful of Chateauneuf du Pape proprietors who believes his 2005s are better than what he produced in 2007, and I find it difficult to disagree relative to this estate-s wines. True lovers of Chateauneuf du Pape will probably want to have both vintages in their cellars.”
Robert Parker, Oct 2009, 92 Points: “Revealing a deeper, more saturated ruby/purple color, the full-bodied 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Reserve exhibits plenty of glycerin, a multilayered texture, and a sensational combination of rich black currant and kirsch fruit intermixed with licorice, roasted herb, and forest floor notes. A blend of 70% Grenache, 20% Syrah, and 10% Cinsault aged in both foudre and old demi-muids, it should drink well for 12-15+ years.”
Robert Parker, Oct 2009, 94 Points: “The blockbuster 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape Reserve Sixtine (55% Grenache, 30% Syrah, and 15% Mourvedre from 50- to 105-year-old vines) boasts an inky/purple color as well as a sensational perfume of camphor, graphite, black currants, black cherries, licorice, and smoke. Built like a young Bordeaux with its tannic structure, this full-bodied, intensely flavored wine reveals a meaty character in the mouth. As with most vintages since 1998, the 2007 requires cellaring. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2028+.”
Robert Parker, Oct 2009, 96 Points: “Beaucastel’s 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape has turned out even better out of bottle than I predicted. An inky/ruby/purple color is followed by a glorious nose of blue and black fruits, truffles, pen ink, licorice, and meat juices as well as glorious levels of acidity and sweet tannin, buttressing the fruit’s fabulous freshness and vibrancy. This full-bodied effort still displays considerable tannin, no doubt because of the relatively high Mourvedre content. It should resolve its tannins in 2-4 years, and last for 25 or more.”
Robert Parker, Oct 2009, 92 Points: “The beautiful 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape Vieilles Vignes (from 80- to 100-year-old vines) is a blend of 60% Grenache and the rest equal parts Syrah, Mourvedre, Cinsault, and Counoise aged in concrete tanks and old wood foudres. An effusively fruity, exuberant effort, it reveals plenty of juicy black currants and black cherries intermixed with lavender, licorice, incense, and forest floor. Full-bodied, dense, and seductive with silky tannins and a long, lush, opulent finish, it is impossible to resist at present, and should continue to evolve for 10-12+ years.”
Robert Parker, Oct 2009, 94 Points: “The monster wine is the inky purple-colored 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape Renaissance. This wine has only been made by Baptiste in 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2007. It is a blend of 60% Grenache and 30% Mourvedre, with the balance Syrah from 50- to 100-year-old vines. Despite the fact that there is only 30% Mourvedre in the blend, it seems to be the Mourvedre that dominates the wine at this stage of its development. It is very tannic, but the tannins are sweet and ripe, and the color an opaque purple. The wine displays notes of roasted meats, incense, and flowers, in a super-powerful, layered, multi-dimensional style. However, patience is required, despite the fact that this is a softer, more supple version of the behemoth that Cristia produced with this cuvee in 2005. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2030.”
Robert Parker, Oct 2009, 90 Points: “The 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape (a blend of 75% Grenache, 15% Mourvedre, and the rest Counoise, Cinsault, and Syrah) had a traditional upbringing in tank and old wood foudres, with less than 10% kept in small barrels. It offers classic Provencal notes of ground pepper, roasted herbs, sweet black cherries, meat juices, truffles, and kirsch. Enjoy this upfront Chateauneuf over the next decade.”
Robert Parker, Oct 2009, 90 Points: “The brilliant 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape offers classic Provencal aromas of garrigue (that roasted herb, windswept smell of Provence), truffles, ground pepper, and kirsch. This full-bodied, rich, fleshy, complex wine is already drinking well. It should evolve nicely for 10-15 years.”
Robert Parker, Oct 2009, 95 Points: “The 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape Chante Le Merle Vieilles Vignes comes from extremely old vines (90-100 years of age), includes 100% whole clusters, and was aged in both neutral foudres and demi-muids. Exhibiting the deepest color as well as the greatest concentration of this quartet, it appears to be the finest example of this cuvee since the prodigious 1990. Terrific notes of licorice, incense, seaweed wrappers, black raspberries, blackberries, and cherries are present in the incredibly complex aromatic display. Deep and full-bodied with lots of roasted herb and meat juice-like characteristics, this big, extravagantly rich, full-bodied wine possesses silky tannins as well as a finish that lasts nearly 50 seconds. It should drink well for two decades.”
Robert Parker, Oct 2009, 95 Points: “The brilliant 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Prestige (60% Grenache, 15% Syrah, 10% Mourvedre, and the balance almost every other authorized red grape of the appellation) is produced from parcels that average 90 years of age or older. It reveals the essence of Provence in its dense plum/purple color and powerful aromatics of sweet creme de cassis, black cherries, licorice, lavender, pepper, and incense. The wine possesses terrific depth, a blockbuster, opulent, multilayered texture, and a finish that lasts nearly 50 seconds. This sensational Chateauneuf du Pape should drink well for 15-20 years.”
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