2019 Masseto Massetino: Italian Micro Production And Great Upward Price Trends

When the king of Super Tuscans, the producer of one of Italy's most expensive and prestigious wines, announces the birth of a baby brother, the world's wine connoisseurs will eagerly be anticipating the first maternity visit. Such a little brother named Massetino is available in the present investment tip - scores are cementing consistent quality and increasing price trends are reflecting demand.

The big brother is called Masseto, and although it is inherently rare already at release, Massetino is even rarer. And it is half the price in round figures. Read much more about the potential below.

Masseto Massetino: The Dominator's Strong Little Brother

The idea of secondary labels in particular "second vin" (Second Wine) was created by the great Chateaux of Bordeaux at the end of the 19th century to give deserved life to quality wines that were not immediately considered as such. For the consumer, it means being able to open and enjoy great wines whose prices are on average 35-45 % lower than the prices of the primary wines. And such a "second vin" from Masseto was created in 2017 - it was named Massetino. 

In 1985, Lodovico Antinori founded the famous Ornellaia, from which the coveted Masseto single vineyard wine emerged as it did not fit into the concept. He went for Merlot, used the best of the Masseto vineyard and triumphed. Today, the Masseto name resonates dominantly in the streets of Italy - in fact, the whole world. Masseto is the epitome of sovereignty, exclusivity, and consistently high quality, which is entirely justified.

From the Masseto vineyard only the best yield are allowed to be included in Masseto wine. Newly planted Cabernet Franc and Merlot parcels in the Masseto vineyard had not yet developed enough character in 2017 to be included in Masseto, although their quality was still unique. Instead, the time was right for Masseto to have its own second vin that could live up to its full potential. Right because Masseto now also had its very own winery that could give Massetino the right conditions - and so it was born.

After four magnificent vintages, with 2017 as the first, the Massetino has marked its quality and deserved status as the second vin of the house.

Second Vin Or Second To None?

The Massetino shares the same ancestry, origin, and identity as its older brother. The very first distribution was only available to a few selected customers in Italy and the US, and only 5,000 bottles were released. However, according to the house itself, this quantity should not be seen as a reference point for future vintages. The flagship Masseto wine is only released in around 30,000 bottles per vintage, while in a regular Massetino vintage (2017 excluded) between 10-15,000 bottles are released.

2019 Masetto Massetino scores 94 points from Vinous, 94-96 points from Wine Advocate and 95 points from James Suckling. Four vintages have been released, and all have scores placed between 94 and 96 points^*, so the four vintages are almost indistinguishable from each other. They are all at a stable, high level. With the status of second wine, there is of course no doubt that Massetino places itself in the slipstream of Masseto, although the great scores also place it as one of the better wines in Italy. On the other hand, the price also reflects little brother status.

The Masseto's little brother attracted attention already at birth with its status, which has created an inherent demand. And granted - it is not the same wine, but the vineyard and ditto producer are the same. But little brother status does not equal shadow position, and the Massetino has already proven that it is second to none, though the fame of the big brother brings demand - to the investor's advantage.

*The 2020 vintage has been released and has so far only been given scores by Wine Advocate (95p).

RareWine Invest's Opinion

Masseto has already established itself as Italy's absolute darling, with consistently high scores and high demand. So, when Masseto releases a little brother from the same vineyard, it is only natural that the attention is enormous - and so are the expectations. And rightly so. Both trading activity on Liv-ex and price trends on wine-searcher.com support the postulate, and scores cement that the status as sought-after is not solely due to the close relation to Masseto.

The price of a second wine is significantly lower than the price of the primary wine. In this case, only half as much is released as in the case of Masseto. And with only 10-15,000 bottles released, it will surely not be long before it becomes more difficult to obtain 2019 Massetino.

Invest in 2019 Massetino, which is second wine and second to none, and be aware that the quantities here are also limited. Therefore, as always, it is first come, first served.