ColleMassari Montecucco Rosso “Rigoleto” DOC 2018
Made by the same family behind cult Brunello producer Poggio di Sotto, this is Montecucco’s answer to an everyday Sangiovese blend from a Tuscan sub-zone still flying under the radar.
Grape Varietals & Region: A blend of 70% Sangiovese, 15% Ciliegiolo and 15% Montepulciano, grown around 300m up in Montecucco, a lesser-known DOC in southern Tuscany where sandstone, marl, iron-rich clay and calcareous soils sit side by side part of the fruit comes from old vines.
Taste Profile: A persistent, intense bouquet of blackberry, moving into sweet spice and balsamic notes. Light-to-medium in body but with dense, meaty forest-berry flavour, structured by sweet, well-integrated tannins and a return of spice and thyme on a long, fruity finish.
Winemaking Process: Vinified in temperature-controlled stainless steel with a 2530 day mash fermentation at 2730C, followed by malolactic fermentation in steel. Of the roughly 10-month maturation, half happens in stainless steel and half in two-to-three-year-old barriques and barrels, with a further 6 months resting in bottle before release.
Winemaker: ColleMassari Wine Estates is run by siblings Maria Iris and Claudio Tipa, whose portfolio also includes Grattamacco in Bolgheri, Tenuta San Giorgio in Montalcino, and most notably cult favourite Poggio di Sotto, one of the most acclaimed Brunello producers in Tuscany. Rigoleto is Montecucco’s chance to drink from that same family’s playbook at an everyday price.
