Masseto IGT Toscana 2014 Ornellaia

The 2014 Masseto has developed beautifully over the past few years of its oak and bottle evolution. This is a very distinctive edition of the iconic Italian Merlot that delivers a silky and streamlined approach. As bold and opulent as Masseto is in the warm vintages, I personally find those wines difficult to finish because the extract, concentration and intensity are so over the top. The best vintages of Masseto usually overpower any food dish you put before them. This is a subdued and downplayed expression instead. The cool summer season has shaped fresh berry notes of wild blackberry and cassis with drying mineral, tobacco, licorice and tar. There is evident sweetness here in terms of the wine's fruit flavors and its tannins, but there also is a cooling vein of acidity that makes the difference. The alcohol feels integrated and light. If you are hankering for a less massive and less muscular Masseto, this vintage is for you.

A dense and fruity red with chocolate, dark berry and cedar character. Full and chewy with a flavorful finish. This is extremely well done for the vintage. Needs two or three years to soften. Better in 2020.

Offers piercing black cherry and black currant fruit on a lighter profile, with vibrant acidity. Refined tannins make this harmonious, picking up a touch of chocolate on the spicy finish. Merlot.—Non-blind Masseto vertical (October 2017). Best from 2020 through 2035.

The 2014 Masseto continues to develop into a very pretty wine. Silky, medium in body and gracious, the 2014 is all about understatement. Each time I taste it, I uncover a new layer of dimension and nuance I did not see before. I expect the 2014 will develop along the lines of the 2005 and 2002, both wines from very cool, late-ripening years. This is the best showing yet for the 2014. This very challenging cool, rainy growing season is also the longest harvest at Masseto. Picking started on September 5 and wrapped up more than a month later, on October 7.