Baffonero, the pure Merlot of the Rocca di Frassinello winery, confirms itself as one of the great Merlots of the Grosseto Maremma. We propose a small vertical of them.
That Merlot is a grape that can yield great results goes without saying, just think of Pomerol. Merlot has been present in Italy for a long time, but it has often been used to give easy, soft, round wines, which many times-especially in warmer areas-have turned into somewhat marbled wine. And this is why many “experts” now snub it.
The great Tuscan Merlots
Yet in Tuscany we find some Merlot in purity truly great, who have marked a slice of the history of our modern vitienology. Just think of the Masseto from Frescobaldi’s estate of the same name, or-to stay in Bolgheri-at the Messorio Of The Stains. A little further south, in Suvereto, we find another iconic wine, the Redigaffi of Tua Rita, but even going further inland we cannot forget the Galatrona of Petrolo, in the Valdarno, or L’Apparita Of Castello di Ama, in Chianti Classico. All great wines, also known internationally.
Fortress of Frassinello and Baffonero
In the wake of the great Merlots of the Tuscan Coast goes the Baffonero of Rocca di Frassinello, the Maremma estate of well-known entrepreneur Paolo Panerai, owner of the Chianti company Castellare di Castellina. The company was founded in Gavorrano as a joint venture between Castellare di Castellina and Domaines Baron de Rothschild-Lafite. The Baffonero vineyard (one of the last to be planted) stands at the foot of the famous winery designed by archistar Renzo Piano.
First vintage of this wine is 2007, when the vines were already beginning to be a few years old. The terrain is of the type clay rich in skeleton, yields are very low: only 35 quintals per hectare. The style of wine traces that brought to the fore by California producers, Mighty, warm, opulent, which most corresponds to the lands of the Maremma.
The 2020 vintage
Having retasted the 2020 vintage about 8 months after the tastings done for the guide, we noticed how these months of bottle aging gave it that extra edge that was not so evident in the spring. Therefore-contrary to our habits-we retune the score upward to 95/100.
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TO READ THE WINE DESCRIPTIONS, WITH SCORE AND AVERAGE SHELF PRICE, CLICK ON THE TABS BELOW.
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