Wines from Le Macchiole

History

Le Macchiole dates back to the early 1980s and is one of the historic wineries of Bolgheri, on the Tuscan coast. Its founders, Eugenio Campolmi and Cinzia Merli, were among the pioneers of the area and helped build Bolgheri's growing fame. The estate has been growing vines in Bolgheri since 1983, the year the first rules for the appellation were drawn up.

Eugenio died young, not long after the first wines were released, and Cinzia has led the winery since. Her sons Elia and Mattia now work beside her with a close team.

The land and the vineyards

Bolgheri lies between the hills and the sea on the Etruscan coast. The climate is dry and gently ventilated, a little cooler than the rest of the Tuscan coast, and well suited to Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Syrah. The area has 27 different soil types.

Le Macchiole works only with grapes from carefully chosen plots, a mosaic of small vineyards across the appellation with names such as Vignone, Casanuova, Casavecchia and Ulivino. The estate farms organically, harvests by hand and sorts the grapes twice in the cellar.

The wines

Each red tells the story of one variety. Messorio is pure Merlot, first made in 1994. Scrio is pure Syrah, also first made in 1994, and its name comes from a Tuscan word meaning pure or whole. Paleo is the Cabernet Franc, which became a single variety wine in 2001 after earlier blends.

Today

Le Macchiole describes itself as always evolving while staying faithful to its first idea. The focus is on organic farming, refinement and elegance, and on wines with a clear personality.

Founded

1983

Owners

Cinzia Merli and family

Main grapes

Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon