What serendipity it was to discover Fattoria La Massa, just outside of Panzano in Chianti. The winery is owned by Giampaolo Motta, a Neapolitan transplanted to Tuscan lands, bringing with him the Elegance and Passion that only Naples can give. Giampaolo has an extraordinary team of collaborators – we spent the whole morning with Francesco Bufalini, an agronomist whose immense passion for his work is matched by his intimate knowledge of every rock and blade of grass on the property. Together they work to enact a vision that is as pure as it is rare: to produce a wine that creates itself.
This of course does not mean less work for the team, but perhaps more…
At La Massa they verge on fanatical in their focus on the right clones to plant, the analysis of every inch of their soil, tracking the slightest variations in their microclimates every day of the year, selecting individual grapes come harvest time…. and if you really do all of this with your heart and soul, once the grapes have been pressed and are in the cellar, there is not much left to “create”. It is just time to “play” with how to maximize your harmony with the right blends and the right wood. The end result of all of this work simply leaves no room for criticism.
La Massa produces two incredible wines (though a single-varietal sangiovese is on its way): La Massa and Giorgio Primo.
Though each with their own distinct personality, these two wines share the common trait of being magnificent expressions of their land, or rather of their terroir. They bloom in your mouth and dance on your palate, painting images in your mind’s eye that are hard to forget.
Thanks are due to La Massa for these beautiful wines, courageous IGTs in the heart of the Chianti Classico DOCG, that must surely leave their neighboring wines with a smack of jealousy.
TUSCAN SOMMELIER 