- Super Tuscans Masseto and Solaia will release their 2018 vintages through La Place de Bordeaux this September.
- The 2019 vintage from Petrolo Galatrona and Masseto’s Second Wine Massetino are also due next month.
- Liv-ex will publish its Fair Value analysis, assessing the price and market positioning of each release.
Solaia
The 2018 vintage of the Super Tuscan Solaia will be released through La Place de Bordeaux this September.
The wine received 98-points from Antonio Galloni (Vinous), who said it captured “all of the elegance of this important vintage”. He added that production is down to “60,000 bottles because of strict selection”.
Galloni said: “I can’t remember ever tasting a young Solaia with this much sheer appeal and balance in the early going”.
Year-to-date, Solaia is the seventh most traded Italian wine by value on Liv-ex. Its most recent vintages 2017 (34.1%), 2015 (23.5%) and 2016 (13.9%) dominate secondary market activity.
As one of the more affordable Super Tuscans (under £3,000 per 12×75 case), Solaia has had room to rise and its index has appreciated 17% over the past year.
Masseto
The Super Tuscan Masseto, which tends to command double the price of Solaia, will also release its 2018 vintage next month.
The upcoming release will be “an absolute thrill for readers,” according to Galloni (98-points). “Silky, mid-weight and supremely gracious, the 2018 reminds me of the 2004 in its aromatic intensity and classic, refined feel,” said the critic.
The wine also received 97-points from Monica Larner (The Wine Advocate), who called it “the vintage surprise few of us could have expected”. Larner explained that, “the season saw rains just before harvest, and vintners were forced into dramatic last-minute decisions and risks” but “the expert team at Masseto navigated those challenges with deft precision in this first vintage executed in the new winery”.
Masseto is the third most traded Italian wine by value year-to-date. 2017, 2015 and 2011 have been its most active vintages by both value and volume trade in 2021.
Massetino
Massetino, Masseto’s younger sibling, is produced after the selection is made for the Grand Vin. Its first vintage was the 2017. The 2018 Massetino, released last year, commands a current Market Price of £3,360 per 12×75.
This autumn, the market will welcome the new 2019 release, which boasts a barrel range of 94-96 points from Larner.
The Merlot-based wine is “enhanced with a small part of Cabernet Franc”, which according to Larner, “is what distinguishes this euphemistically diminutive expression of Masseto, and it is its distinctive vinous signature”. Back in May, Larner revealed that the wine was “shaping up beautifully” and that we will see “how the 2019 plays out in the bottle”.
Petrolo Galatrona
Another release from Tuscany, Galatrona is “the ‘Gran-Cru’ of Merlot of Petrolo,” according to the producer. Major critics are yet to review the upcoming 2019 release.
On the secondary market, Galatrona has seen consistent trading activity since 2011. Year-to-date, its 2010 (21.1%), 2015 (17.3%) and 2012 (16.8%) vintages have led trade by value.
Bibi Graetz
Last but not least, the wines of Bibi Graetz will be released through La Place de Bordeaux this autumn.
The up-and-coming Tuscan label is a new addition to the 2021 Liv-ex Classification, which sorts the world’s leading fine wine labels by price, and will be published next week.
Last year, Bibi Graetz’s Testamatta 2018 (100% Sangiovese) saw increased secondary market activity upon release. The 2019 vintage is expected this autumn, along with the 2019 Colore – Bibi Graetz’s top wine, made from indigenous varieties (Sangiovese, Canaiolo, Colorino).
Coming up next: preview of the upcoming New World La Place releases and more.
