La Massa 2021

Notes of ripe dark berries, ground spices and hints of walnuts and bark on the nose. Firm and lightly chewy on the palate, with a medium to full body. Layered and dense with a velvety texture to its tannins and a lingering aftertaste. Try after 2026.

Just bottled, the 2021 La Massa is superb. Dark cherry/plum fruit, new leather, tobacco, licorice, mocha and spice fill out the layers effortlessly. I can't wait to taste this with a bit more time in bottle. Best of all, La Massa is a terrific value. The 2021 is one of the best vintages yet from this estate. I can't think of too many wines in Tuscany that offer this much quality for the money.

The nose is clean, precise, spicy, and offers a certain measured power. We find notes of wild blackberry, wild red berries and, more subtly, strawberry tree fruit, combined with hints of cornflower, tobacco, star anise, as well as fine touches of Cubeb pepper. The palate is fruity, supple, and fresh, delivering lovely pulpy/bright fruit, elegance, indulgence, and a tangy backbone. On the palate, this wine reveals notes of bright blueberry and bright cherry, and more subtly cornflower, joined by hints of crushed wild red berries and strawberry tree fruit, as well as touches of refined minerality—almost pine needle—thyme, and fine notes of sweet pepper and spices. An imperceptible almost tangerine note in the background. A lovely, discreet work on the varietal (in the background) that guides the tasting. A touch of roasting on the finish/persistence.