External search
Google (images)
Wine Advocate
Wine Spectator
Burghound
Wine-Searcher
Vintages
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
Show more
From this producer
Show all wines
All tasting notes
|
| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 92.2 pts. and median of 93 pts. in 73 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by Vinogan(s) on 4/3/2024 & rated 89 points: This wine feels like it weighs a ton. The excessive wood drags it down and makes this feel very heavy. Unpleasant to drink. Not my thing (327 views) | | | Tasted by Inforred on 3/29/2024 & rated 93 points: In a great drinking window. Deep red color, with slight bricking. Nose a bit reserved, hints of fruit, wood, earth. With a bit of time, rich and well integrated cab franc flavor with ripe tannin. Great on its own, paired well with a burger steak. (293 views) | | | Tasted by klaus3974 on 2/3/2024 & rated 90 points: Dense, jammy, ripe and concentrated. It is hard to distinguish the Cab Franc. Nevertheless, well made and quality fruit. Better on day 2 so probably needs a bit of air. (484 views) | | | Tasted by jplpharmacist on 1/20/2024 & rated 94 points: Lots of life left. No bricking. Very mild acid. Lots of jammy fruit. Super good (533 views) | | | Tasted by Oldmanzin on 5/7/2023: Flawed (1172 views) | | | Tasted by Vinogan(s) on 4/25/2023 & rated 89 points: I concur with the note of January 24 below. Again a Paleo with excessive oak influence, making it overly heavy for consumption and totally not attractive. Why does Le Macchiole insist on raping these fine and delicate cabernet franc grapes with all this new oak? Why? (1107 views) | | | Tasted by Édifice on 2/12/2023 & rated 94 points: Bouquet of ripe berries, Italian herbs, flowers, undergrowth. Juicy, lush palate, ripe yet with a good amount of acidity, slight bitterness, herbs, a bit of minerals on the finish of medium length. Not overly complex but of high quality. (1268 views) | | | Tasted by Genghis88 on 1/25/2023 & rated 93 points: Revisiting this wine after about 18 months.
**See previous notes
Just gorgeous. Not a long decant....three hours but drank over another 3.
The only discernable difference is the amount of oak notes that have become evident. The wine is silky smooth, nicely balanced, and went perfectly with tonight's slow-cooker beef stew. Will revisit again in 18 months or so. Great wines, case worthy. (1303 views) | | | Tasted by Kris G on 1/24/2023 & rated 88 points: I used to be a fan of Paleo, but the amount of wood has become an issue. In this last experiece the bitterness from the wood was very unpleasant. It gave a Bordeaux-like sensation. I switched from Bordeaux to Toscana a couple of years to have more acidity and less bitterness. Still some bottles (of other vintages) in my cellar, I hope for a more pleasing experience. (1263 views) | | | Tasted by StefanAkiko on 12/24/2022 & rated 92 points: Dark, dark red wine.
The nose is huge, polished and a little faceless. "Young wine with lots of fruit".
In the mouth, this is a Ferrari. Wrroooom! A howl with great power and well-polished pregnancy. Way too early, but oh so good!
Big, long, extracted wine with depth and breadth. Not a single marker of CF, at least not that I recognize. Good acidity and fantastic tannins!
Didn't go particularly well with tonight's sensitive menu, but worked wonders with the baked beef tenderloin with foie gras! There, the wine was in its right element.
----_------------------------------
Mörkt, mörkt rött vin.
Nosen är enorm, polerad och lite ansiktslös. "Ungt vin med massor frukt".
I munnen är det en Ferarri. Vrroooom! Ett vrålåk med stor kraft och välpolerad pregnans.
Alldeles för tidigt, men aj så gott!
Stort, långt, extraherat vin med djup och bredd. Inte en endaste markör av CF, iaf inte som jag känner igen. Bra syror och fantastiska tanniner!
Passade inte särsklit väl till kvällens sensitiva meny, men gjorde underverk med den inbakade oxfilén med foie gras! Där var vinet på sin rätta plats. (951 views) | | | Tasted by jplpharmacist on 10/29/2022 & rated 94 points: Still has lots of life left in it - purple no brick Color at all - lots of tannin left - mild acid - nice cab franc (1038 views) | | | Tasted by Wine Diplomats on 5/29/2022 & rated 94 points: 100% Cabernet Franc. Fermentation in stainless steel and concrete tanks; 20 months in oak barrels; 75% new oak. 25% second use. Most integrated oak of all the oaked wines despite having the most new oak, but it's also the oldest wine. Fresh and spicy nose, chocolate but also verging on tertiary notes. Good acid. Seamless palate. Dark berry fruit. Still plenty of tannins for long-term aging but the tannins have softened making it approachable now. I had the 2013 of Paleo in 2017, so it was much younger than this Paleo now, but I prefer the 2013 because there were more Cabernet Franc characteristics. Nonetheless, it’s still a wine of high pedigree that should please modern wine drinkers with its well-integrated oak and powerful fruit with velvety texture. At the same time, there’s structure and acidity for longterm aging and more complexity. 94+
https://winediplomats.com/ (1442 views) | | | Tasted by Eriklainen on 2/6/2022: Blue berry bomb. A little warm. But after a few hours this wine started shining. Added structure, some lead pencil and silky tannins. Lovely wine and probably no hurry here. (1717 views) | | | Tasted by Kris G on 1/23/2022 & rated 91 points: Fortunately showing less wood than the 2008 vintage. But for a Cabernet Franc this is rather full bodied and on the heavy side. I enjoyed it but the QPR is a bit doubtful. (1692 views) | | | Tasted by NostraBacchus on 1/23/2022 & rated 96 points: Medium purple color with some ruby too. Super explosive, aromatic, seductive and pure, with layer over layer of dark fruit (cassis, black cherries), some elderflowers, sweet spices, espresso roast, graphite, lead pencil, dark flowers, there is also a touch of tobacco leaf. It‘s medium-full bodied, almost creamy in mouthfeel, but then there is this beautiful medium-high acidity providing freshness and still medium-high tannin adding grip and structure. The tannin is silky but present. Very long finish. A superbly complete Cabernet Franc from this excellent producer and warmer year. Beautifully velvety and silky with layers of complexity. This has still a good 10+ years ahead and might get even better. (2126 views) | | | Tasted by dimdic on 6/27/2021 & rated 93 points: Still not ready to drink. Tannin was young, solid and quite spicy that could irritate the drinking experience. It needed long time of breathing or decant to improve if drink now. It had a great rich earthy and herbal aroma as typical Bolgheri Cabernet Franc with good amount of french oak influence. Intense flavour of blackcurrant, blackberry and hint of chocolate. It has a lot of potential to grow for aging 10+ years more. Not recommend to drink now. (2271 views) | | | Tasted by Genghis88 on 6/19/2021 & rated 93 points: Deep garnet in color. Full bodied.
Loads or perfumed flowers, some red and dark berries. Fruit leather.
Smooth and silky. Perfectly balanced. Longish finish. Figs, subtle vanilla notes. Unctuous. The is a beautiful wine. Perfectly approachable right now. Years left. Case worthy. One of my favorite producers.
Chicken Tika and roasted corn. (1993 views) | | | Tasted by Eriklainen on 6/17/2021: Took a while for the blueberries to appear. Green bell pepper easier to find. Some Brett barnyard going on but nothing bad at all - in fact it just makes it feel more aged and complex. Nice, well made - no doubt. Somehow the geographical footprint isn't that strong - on the other hand, I have no idea what it would be like. But if you are looking for a cool expression of cab franc with acid and green bell pepper, well then you may just as well go to Loire. (1787 views) | | | Tasted by Bordeaux 2013 on 5/13/2021 & rated 93 points: Interesting to drink a pure cabernet franc, and a very good wine indeed. I like it. However, it also shows very clearly why this grape is usually blended with other varieties for more complexity. No need to rush with this wine as it still has a long life ahead. (1952 views) | | | Tasted by Oldmanzin on 5/8/2021 & rated 94 points: Red fruit, garrigue and tilled soil combine to make a wonderful iteration of Cabernet Franc. The oak is totally integrated now, but still playing a nice supporting role. Great depth and texture. It is so nice to have this grape varietal in this form. There are a hand full of good drinking left for this vintage. Great juice. (1796 views) | | | Tasted by La Sprezzatura on 2/22/2021 & rated 95 points: pnp
served blind
dense black fruits on the nose, paired with a nice elegance, balance and freshness. totally my style of wine.
palate: ripe and rather velvety tannins, hint of herbs, licorice, hints of tobacco, high intensity every inch of the palate gets filled with this good stuff. Even if the intensity is high, it is supported by a high acidity. Nice balance. The interval from one sip to the next is very small, which is usually a good sign, if you know what I mean haha.
will improve over time, but drinking well right now. would recommend to decant for 2h. (1343 views) | | | Tasted by fontaine on 1/17/2021 & rated 90 points: C'est beau, c'est bien fait, mais le vin ne m'a apporté aucune émotion (644 views) | | | Tasted by Renevin on 12/19/2020 & rated 93 points: Nez très expressif, fruits rouge confiturés, vanille. En bouche, tout est en rondeur,mais puissant, bel équilibre et belle longueur (1838 views) | | | Tasted by Édifice on 12/12/2020 & rated 95 points: Bouquet of ripe berries, pepper. Voluptuous palate, rich fruit, some vanilla, a fine line of acidity, feeling a bit hot, with a medium to long finish. One can feel the hotter vintage, but still overall balanced, improving from the first to the second wine. Time should calm this wine down but already a great pleasure to drink. (1799 views) | | | Tasted by Oldmanzin on 6/21/2020 & rated 94 points: Blue and red fruit, garrigue and wild herbs come together is somewhat ripe style of Cabernet Franc. The oak is now well integrated. Layers upon layers of goodness. Wonderful aromatics. This is just starting to be in the optimal drinking window. Great juice. (2388 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Ian D'Agata
Vinous, Tuscany Part 2: Bolgheri, the Tuscan Coast and More Super-Tuscans (Dec 2014) (12/1/2014)
(Le Macchiole Paleo) Subscribe to see review text. | By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, Exploring the Tuscan Coast (Sep 2014) (5/1/2014)
(Le Macchiole Paleo Rosso) Subscribe to see review text. | By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, Le Macchiole: Paleo Rosso 1992-2012 (Apr 2014)
(Le Macchiole Paleo Rosso) Subscribe to see review text. |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of Vinous. (manage subscription channels) |
| Le Macchiole Producer website
U.S. Importer (Addt'l Info)
Producer Location (Google Maps)
Source: VinConnect (VinConnect.com)
A beacon of fine wine production in Bolgheri, today recognized as one of Italy’s most important wine regions, the history of Le Macchiole began in 1983 when Eugenio Campolmi, a native Bolgherese, purchased his first vineyard. Together with his wife, Cinzia Merli, Eugenio began his pursuit, based on the philosophy of experimentation, planting many different varietals (Sangiovese, Merlot, Cabernet, Syrah…) to discover those best adapted to the microclimate and particular soil of this region along the Etruscan coast, nestled between the Bolgheri hills and the sea.
Beginning with just a few hectares, little by little the estate grew, the winery was built, and in 1991, winemaker Luca d’Attoma joined Le Macchiole, sharing a common goal: to produce an original, perhaps unexpected, wine capable of expressing and celebrating the characteristics of the territory. The winery focused on achieving the purest expression of individual varieties, such as Cabernet Franc and Syrah, atypical at the time in an area predominantly known for its Bordeaux style blends. With its distinct wines and unprecedented quality, Le Macchiole soon joined Sassicaia, Ornellaia and Guado al Tasso as one of the most prestigious estates in Bolgheri. Following Eugenio’s death in 2002, Cinzia took over the reins, moving forward with passion and dedication.
Working closely with a carefully selected team in the winery and the vineyards, Le Macchiole has always been at the forefront of innovation, applying methods including extremely low yields, high density planting, specially designed cement fermentation tanks in the cellar, and since 2002, the implementation of organic farming practices, with the sole objective of strengthening the vine. The winery continues to produce what are internationally recognized as some of Tuscany’s finest wines, confirmed by the numerous accolades received in Italy and abroad, including the Wine Spectator’s prestigious 100-point score a few years ago for the 2004 Messorio.
Today Le Macchiole produces 5 wines: Paleo Rosso (Cabernet Franc), Messorio (Merlot), Scrio (Syrah), Bolgheri Rosso (Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Syrah) and Paleo Bianco (Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc), each with its own personality, an expression of the soil and result of the respect given to the vineyard.
“It is essential to first find balance in the vineyard, only then can we find balance in the wine.”
– Cinzia Merli
Cabernet Franc Varietal character (Appellation America) | Wines & Vines articlePaleo RossoPaleo Rosso used to be a blend of predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon with some Cabernet Franc, but starting in 2001 it shifted to be 100% Cabernet Franc.Italy Italian Wines (ItalianMade.com, The Italian Trade Commission) | Italian Wine Guide on the WineDoctorTuscany Tuscany (ItalianMade.com) | TuscanytToscana IGTHere is the Wikipedia entry for Toscana wine. |
|
