Le Macchiole

 From the very beginning, the modern winery Le Macchiole has been one of the top Italian producers of quality wines. As one of the first and most important winegrowers in the Bolgheri region, it has also acquired a high international reputation. Since Eugenio Campolmi died young and unexpected in 2002, the widow Cinzia Merli, who founded and built the estate together with her husband, has continued to run it with great determination and foresight. The winemaker likes to affectionately call her wines "my children". The Campolmi family has been living in the region for many years and produced fine wines from vineyards on the plain of Via Aurelia as early as the end of the 1970s.

In 1983, Eugenio Campolmi, led by a gifted intuition, began planting new slopes at the foot of the Bolgheri hills. Experiments have shown that the Cabernet Franc grape variety is particularly suitable for Le Macchiole vineyards. However, since the owner of the estate had a particular passion for Syrah, he also planted this grape variety despite rather unfavourable growing conditions. Thus the rarest wine of the house, a pure Syrah called Scrio, was produced with considerable effort and in only a small quantity. Le Macchiole's outstanding wines also include the Messorio, made exclusively from Merlot, and the Paleo Rosso, the first Italian wine made entirely from Cabernet Franc to cause a sensation.

The 22 hectares of vineyards are extremely densely planted with around 10,000 vines per hectare and are cultivated organically. The grapes are very strictly selected. The aim of the management was to ensure that the characteristics of the terroir were given the highest possible recognition in the individual subzones on their own land. The Le Macchiole winery has received numerous top ratings from wine critics to this day. In 2011 Le Macchiole was named Winery of the Year by the magazine Wine Enthusiast.

2 years ago I visited Bolgheri and stayed at Agriturismo Tra Gli Ulivi. Located on the same street as Le Macchiole, Guado al Tasso, Ornellaia, and Orma. Unfortunately, I was only able to stand in front of the winery and dream of a visit. We no longer had time to plan a tasting there. Fortunately, I have been lucky enough to taste the wines of Le Macchiole.

The Paleo Rosso is a wine that no Italian wine lover should miss on their wine list. It is a unique wine, the first 100% Cabernet Franc in Italy. Limited production to 25,000 bottles per vintage. A character that you will not be able to find in any other wine and can therefore only experience by tasting it yourself.

I don't think the Messorio (100% Merlot) is much better than the Radigaffi from Tua Rita. It is not without reason that they are in the same price range, both top quality. I would advise you to choose your own preference. The Messorio shows a little more elegance. Partly thanks to the unique climate of Bolgheri.

Top Le Macchiole vintages are: 1997, 1998, 2001, 2004, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2019.


FACTS

Year Founded: 1983
Owner: Cinzia Merli
Annual production: approx. 150,000 bottles
Vineyard: approx. 22 hectares
Organic cultivation (not certified)