The 2021 Paleo Rosso (Cabernet Franc) soars out of the glass with high-toned Franc aromatics. Crushed red-toned fruit, blood orange, espresso, mocha, licorice and exotic spice infuse the palate with a notable textural intensity that builds over time. Paleo Rosso typically needs a few years in bottle to blossom. I expect that will be the case here as well. It’s an impressive wine from Le Macchiole. Aging was 16 months, mostly in low-toast French oak barrels, with a touch (4%) of stoneware amphora.
This is a stellar set of 2021s from Le Macchiole. What impressed me most this year is how distinctive the three main reds are. In recent years, proprietor Cinzia Merli and her team have introduced numerous refinements in farming, winemaking and élevage that give the wines a bit more nuance and overall freshness than in the past.
One of the keys to the 2021 growing season at Le Macchiole is a healthy amount of rain that fell over the winter months. There were some frost issues in April, but mostly cold weather served to delay fruit set and flowering, pushing timing back to more ‘normal’ parameters that are less common these days. The central part of summer was quite warm, which may explain the intense concentration found in some of the 2021s, most notably Paleo Rosso. Harvest began in late August for the whites and the Merlot for the Bolgheri Rosso, followed by the Merlot for Messorio and then the Syrah. Rain at the end of September pushed the Cabernet Franc harvest back a touch. Overall, the wines are deep and quite intense. I expect they will be even better with more time in bottle.
