Montalcino is a tough area for a wine buyer. There is a limited amount of territory to make wine and demand is sky high for everything, almost irrespective of quality. They say it is better to be lucky than good and I'm not sure if it was luck or skill but man did Fass Selections hit the absolute jackpot in Montalcino. Le Macioche is an absolute jewel of a winery with a miniscule 3 hectares of production in carefully selected, higher altitude terroir optimally situated to allow for the balanced wines that are the hallmark of this estate. The estate was for a long time owned by an elderly couple who did not market at all and hence the winery, although one of the best in Brunello, is unheralded in the US until this point so prices are much lower than they should be.
This is NOT Le Macchiole with an "L" (which sounds similar).
I can't say how much I love the 2013 Le Macioche Rosso di Montalcino. And at $29.99 on a 4 pack, it's a fantastic value from one of the elite Brunello producers. The nose on this wine is so light and pretty. Almost understated - you have to really swirl and breathe deeply to see that there is a lot going on. Swirling aromatics of cherry and spice. The palate is so Macioche. Early season cherry with a bit of spice and just the vaguest hint of bitterness sort of like a dusting of dandelion on a great piece of rabbit. There is also serious structure to this wine and while it's certainly in its drinking window, this should drink well for 5-10 years. The tannins are super silky. The finish is just incredibly elegant. The wine is very Burgundian for a Tuscan wine, which is quite a testament to their careful winemaking and selection of vineyards (it's quite a bit hotter in Tuscany than Burgundy). This is a very elegant, complex wine that you can geek out on or you can have it with pizza or at a party and not feel like you are blowing the rent money.
I am also offering the 2008 Le Macioche Brunello di Montalcino for $54.99 on a 3 pack. This is the calling card of the estate and just as well made as the Rosso but with more fruit. It's an incredibly delicious wine from a great year for Macioche. So you know how I always go on and on about how I want wines with freshness? This wine hits a new level of freshness. The cherry fruit in this wine is perfect. And when I mean perfect, I mean not just great first of season cherry fruit but you know how there are always better and worse cherries in the bunch - these are the best, most perfect cherries of the lot. I'm not sure how it's even possible how a wine 8 years old has such perfect freshness but the wine is so perfectly fruited it's almost incomprehensible. Beneath that, there is an awesome mineral core and stunning, stunning complexity. The internal aromatics really fill the palate, swirling like a maelstrom. Tremendous, tremendous structure on this wine.This wine has the structure acidity to last for decades although you can drink it now with a 2 hour decant. The finish is a second wave of perfect cherries and a hint of spice. It's like a movie that is incredible and then there is an amazing twist at the end that takes it to even another level. Think early M. Night Shyamalan. At the end of each sip, you are almost speechless. The crazy thing is, it's so incomprehensibly awesome, you've forgotten by the next sip and begin again. Easily one of the best Brunellos tasted out of dozens, including some of the big boys. Just a tremendous effort that will stand out against pretty much any wine it is served alongside. A defining bottle of Brunello. The most awesome thing? It's 8 years old, at the beginning of its drinking window and you can drink it now. The fact that this is in the same price range as gigantic production Banfi ($50-$75 for the 2011) is an absolute joke. This wine easily competes qualitatively with some of the Grand Cru Burgundy or top tier Northern Rhone wines I've offered. It's that good.
I also have a few bottles left of the wine I call The Hammer of God. This wine is simply unreal and one of the best reds I've ever sold. The 2006 Le Macioche Brunello di Montalcino for $96.99 on a 3-pack. They only make this wine in exceptional years and for whatever reason, in their unique microclimate, in 2006, this wine is simply incredible. This is the Muhammad Ali of wines - it floats like a butterfly and stings like a bee. It has the incredible power, richness and density of great Brunello but is at the same time clean and light on its feet. Incredible fresh acids prevent this wine from being heavy even though it is one of the most concentrated wines we will ever sell. Think Romanée Saint-Vivant, Grand Cru Gevrey or Great Cote Rotie levels of concentration. The fruit composition is unique. There are dark fruits that hit the palate when you first taste it but then a second later, bright, fresh first of season cherry fruit blasts through. I've never had anything like it. There is also terrific integrated spiciness that swirls around as the wine aerates. And this is a ten year old wine with this kind of freshness. It has the structure to age for 20 years plus.
Truly a benchmark Brunello. You drink it and you cannot believe that you are this lucky to be drinking this wine. An hour goes by and you are still astonished that it is this good. The Riserva wine would be $150+ through three tier and worth it. It's up there with the best wines of this style from Burgundy and the Rhone. It is a special occasion wine - like your last meal level of special occasion.
Riccardo Caliariis one of those people who is almost a force of nature. Perfect in every way but restrained, like his wines. Impeccably dressed and eloquent yet understated, he knows every aspect of the estate and every flavor in every wine and when it will present itself in a tasting. He bought the estate with 2 friends and is focused on quality, quality, quality in every aspect of the business from the vineyards to the winemaking to the logo. Le Macioche is an undiscovered jewel that will not remain undiscovered for long - Caliari is one of those people who succeeds at anything they attempt by force of will. These wines will achieve the recognition they deserve and prices will go up.
Buy now or forever regret it.
2013 Le Macioche Rosso di Montalcino - $31.99
($119.96 4-pack) (LIMITED)
2008 Le Macioche Brunello di Montalcino - $58.99
($164.97 3-pack) (LIMITED)
2006 Le Macioche Brunello di Montalcino Riserva - $99.99
($290.97 3-pack) (VERY LIMITED)
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