Tenuta La Massa

Giampaolo Motta is called a lateral thinker by many colleagues. In any case, he is always good for surprises. Born in Naples, he worked in renowned wineries in the Chianti Classico region. His favourite wines, however, were from Bordeaux. No wonder then that he soon found himself in famous chateaux. It was there that the idea was born that it must be possible to press red wines of the same quality in Tuscany.

In 1992 he was fortunate enough to purchase an old winery, the Tenuta La Massa, in the best location of Panzano in Chianti. "Conca d'Oro" - the golden bowl - is what the locals call this south-facing huge depression in the landscape, which looks like an oversized clam full of vines. The name, however, comes from the time when wheat was still cultivated here, which in the light of the afternoon sun made the natural amphitheatre glow golden. Today it is a lush green of the vines that have long dominated here.

"After ten years of work, I was not really happy with the result." Success soon proved him right, because his "Giorgo Primo", which originally featured varying proportions of the Bordeaux varieties Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot or Alicante Bouschet, depending on the vintage, in addition to Sangiovese, climbed rapidly into the Olympus of Italian top wines and is now a pure Bordeaux cuvée with a main proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon, which matures excellently in the Conca d'Oro. His "second wine" La Massa is a cuvée with Sangiovese as main variety and married with Bordeaux varieties. Named after his daughter Carla, this wine is a selection of the best Sangiovese grapes.

When you enter his newly built cellar when the grapes are delivered, you see neither tanks nor barrels, but a chessboard floor made of black and white tiles. And on each side 6 stainless steel closures embedded in the floor. Nothing else. No hoses, no pumps. Everything here runs only by gravity from top to bottom. Because underneath these closures are the fermentation tanks, one floor below. Giampaolo Motta himself developed a uniquely gentle, sophisticated stirring system to push the mash down.

In Bordeaux, Motta had also met the architect Bernard Mazieres, who renovated Château Petrus, Mouton-Rothschild and Château Latour, among others - who probably paid much more than Giampaolo Motta, who simply invited and hosted the architect until he was overwhelmed by the charm of the landscape, as well as the charm, the attention to detail and the uncompromising nature of the host and began to plan.

2 years ago I had the pleasure of visiting the winery. From the village of Panzano you drive onto a side road where you also drive past Fontodi and Castello dei Rampolla. Then you drive all the way down the road and drive towards the winery with a stunning view of the valley.

The winery is small, modern and uniquely located. You can do the tasting in peace and quiet next to old farms on their terrace in the sun. While you see the employees working hard on the vineyards surrounding the winery, you can taste the quality that is worked in every detail. If you are a fan of supetuscans, you cannot miss the Il Primo of La Massa!

Top Tenuta la Massa vintages are: 1997, 1999, 2006, 2007, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2019 and 2020.


FACTS

Year Founded: 1992

Owner: Giampaolo Motta

Annual production: approx. 140,000 bottles

Vineyard: approx. 27 hectares

Natural cultivation