2019 Massetino (baby Masseto)

I've always longed to try Masseto, but it comes at a painful price point that I can't yet justify, perhaps one day.

Was lucky enough to get this bottle of Massetino from Sotheby's retail and have been holding onto this for a while, until the right opportunity came along.

In contrast to big brother Masseto, Massetino is made from younger vines and specific blocks, although on the same famous Masseto hill. This particular vintage is actually 6% Cabernet Franc, 94% Merlot (versus Masseto that is 100% Merlot).

Brought the bottle to dinner at Via Aurelia in San Francisco, a new restaurant we've been wanting to try for a while. Given Via Aurelia's Tuscan pedigree and the historical significance of the name (Via Aurelia is the historic road connecting Rome to Coastal Cities and even Southern France), this bottle felt appropriate… after all, what grows together, goes together.

Gave this bottle an hour decant ahead of dinner, with the anticipation it may need more than that.

After being seated, decided to get a half bottle of a different wine (a Vino Nobile di Montepulcino) to warm up, while the Massetino continued to open up.

Once we got our pasta dishes, it was time to switch to the Massetino and even on first splash, a bouquet of aromas jumped out of the glass, very pronounced intensity.

I could smell this wine for ten minutes before taking a sip and be content.

Picked up notes of dark plum, blackberry, kaccha aam (green mango), and dark cherry.

Also picked up some spices, such as cinnamon stick (versus powdered cinnamon), clove, young peppercorn, graphite.

Still strong tannins, but somewhat velvety in nature, versus overpowering.

As we saw the wine evolve over the course of a two-hour dinner, this wine evolved more. The tannins appeared to soften, the acidity was balanced, and this wine paired well with both pasta dishes: the paccheri and the pici alle briciole, especially given the al dente cooking treatment of the former.

With time, also picked up some pomegranate skins, dark chocolate, and even some slight leather (but more catcher's mitt versus leather shoes).

I think this is an outstanding wine that is already enjoyable, in spite of its young age, and will only get better over time.

In my book, this is on the same playing field as Castello di Ama L'Apparita, the wine that made Merlot in Tuscany famous.

I can't wait to one day try the actual Masseto, especially with some age on it!

93+ points.