2020 PALEO Rosso Le Macchiole, Lea & Sandeman

PALEO

2021 Rosso Le Macchiole

Grapes Cab Franc
Colour Red
Origin Italy, Tuscany
Other Certified Organic
District Maremma
ABV 14%

Fragrant, pepper, mulberry, blueberries, chocolate and tobacco. Bright and succulent, deeply fruited, blueberries and mulberry, tobacco and pepper. L&S (Apr 2025)


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Le Macchiole's iconic Paleo has evolved from a Bordeaux-style blend into a unique single-variety expression of Tuscany's coastline. This pioneering 100% Cabernet Franc is sourced from three estate vineyards and ferments for 25 days in concrete tanks before spending 16 months in new oak barrels, conical trunk casks and stoneware amphorae. In the glass it's sublime, showing wild blackberries, blood orange, black cherry and thick herbal shrub characters. Lilting wild flowers, bitter chocolate and espresso balance nicely alongside dusty tannins. It's a thinking, fireside wine with impressive ageing potential. Drinking range: 2027 - 2040 Rating: 98 Isobel Salaman, Decanter (May 2025)

The 2021 Paleo Rosso (Cabernet Franc) soars out of the glass with high-toned Franc aromatics. Crushed red-toned fruit, blood orange, espresso, mocha, licorice and exotic spice infuse the palate with a notable textural intensity that builds over time. Paleo Rosso typically needs a few years in bottle to blossom. I expect that will be the case here as well. It’s an impressive wine from Le Macchiole. Aging was 16 months, mostly in low-toast French oak barrels, with a touch (4%) of stoneware amphora. Drinking range: 2029 - 2046 Rating: 97+ Antonio Galloni, The Wine Advocate (Dec 2024)

Paleo has been 100% Cabernet Franc since 2001 and helped to cement Le Macchiole's reputation as innovators. The 2021 is a blend of three plots out of a possible eight, vinified separately in concrete with a 30-day maceration. Ageing is mostly in new barriques, with 7% in ceramic ‘tava’. ‘You have to pay attention to the extraction,’ notes owner, Cinzia Merli. There's certainly plenty of concentration here, but the wine is characterised by precision rather than power, with breezy aromas of black cherry, dark hedgerow berries and herbs joined by a cool touch of sous bois. Overall intense, bright and juicy, the densely packed core of damson and black cherry is supported by fine, dusty tannins, with dark chocolate and floral notes on the fresh, lifted finish. Class. To be released in February 2025. Drinking range: 2025 - 2041 Rating: 96 James Button, Decanter (Aug 2024)

Le Macchiole

Initially put onto the wine map by Eugenio Campolmi in 1983, the Le Macchiole estate has been run by his wife Cinzia since 2002. In the heart of Bolgheri, with 22 hectares of vineyard over much of the best soils of the region these are, along with the Sassicaia and Ornellaia's vineyards, also among the oldest and most established vines in Bolgheri. Their careful selection of grape varieties and cultivation techniques according to climate and soil has led them to concentrate on Merlot, Syrah and most importantly Cabernet Franc, a variety which can express itself so well in the hands of Le Macchiole.

All of their wines are marked by a unique and unmistakable character. Full bodied wines, and yet with clean and elegant flavours, leading to great freshness and finesse, they are incredibly sought after world-wide. The estate has been organic since 2002, and they are experimenting with biodynamics.

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