1998 Le Macchiole, Messorio, Tuscany, Italy

Very dark color WOW! a BIG nose. Tasted along side the 97-Messorio, but very different. A thick layer of black currant with vanilla and licorice..not much but just a touch. Amazing . Like the 97, the taste and finish last for over 1min. Very powerfull but as with Le Machhioles other wines not clumsy but feminine (100)

Tasted May 2003

1998 Le Macchiole, Messorio, Tuscany, Italy

Second time I try this wine and I scored it a perfect 100 pts. Back in May-2003. My initial thought was – nope not perfect as the first expressions from the glass made their entrance. But then the magic starts. If this wine was served to me blind, I hope that I would be able to spot its superb Italian warmth, but it would not be an easy task – why? It has such an exotic nose, that it initially could be mistaken for an overseas wine, but then again the supreme elegance – Pomerol maybe? Compared to the height of elegance; ’97-Messorio and the muscular ’99 version – the 1998 could be labelled as the Exotic-Messorio. The nose has so many notes and they are shifting tempo and volume for each new nose-dive. We have – caramel, marzipan, raisins, coconut, melted valrhona chocolate, notes of Christmas and black luxurious fruits – to die for. As a mineral hunter and the appreciation for Le Macchiole high profiled Tuscan herbs the ’98 don’t fulfilled my dreams and on paper not a subject for a perfect wine. But how about a 1min and 12 second finish, extreme elegance, overload of fruit and most importantly a drinking pleasure so high that the bottle was finished before I could write, for the fifth time in my short life in wine – 100 Points.

Thu 03 Aug, 2006

1998 Le Macchiole, Messorio, Tuscany, Italy

Crazy and Opulent wine compared to the 1997. Pouring out blueberries, glycerine, paint, wax, coconut with bit fat overripe cherries. With air some more structure building up, with herbs evolving. Taste is intense, warm blooded with dark melted chocolate. Uhhh it’s a tough call this one as the oak seem to be one of the providers of this wildness, but my god there is so much fruit and the wine never becomes heavy. If you are in doubt don’t give it the perfect score – so (99+pts)

Messorio Vertical Thu 14 Sep, 2006