2019 Masseto Wins Italy And Seals 10 Years Of Dominance With Quality And Returns

For a decade, Masseto has been outperforming the other Super Tuscans. Super Tuscans, who, according to the British wine exchange Liv-ex, have outperformed their index, the Italy 100, for the past three years.

This investment tip concerns the newly released 2019 Masseto, which establishes its undisputed place at the top of the Italian hierarchy. This place is spiced with minimal supply and returns that underpin its inherent potential as a long-term investment asset. 

Read much more about the wine mastodont below. 

Fabulous Masseto

It is now more than 30 years since this unique single vineyard first graced Bolgheri with its existence. And since then, it has stood out from its neighbors and attracted massive international acclaim. Masseto is today the name of unique wine, vineyard, and winery, and it, fortunately, became a reality despite all predictions, well-meaning advice, and local traditions.

Lodovico Antinori dared to bet on his clayey Masseto soil, which offered ideal conditions for Merlot combined with cool coastal breezes and the nearby Mediterranean Sea presence. His intuition was to bear fruit with elegance, complexity, and power - the result was a Super Tuscan success.

The first Masseto vintages were vinified and aged at Ornellaia, but in 2019 they were finally able to open their doors at Masseto's winery. The facility is 27,000 square meters and contains modern and state-of-the-art vinification systems to do justice to the Masseto. The 2019 Masseto, the main subject of this investment case, is thus the first vintage made here, which is why it is also described as the start of a whole new chapter in the Masseto adventure.

Masseto is a single-estate wine that is only produced in the region of 30,000 bottles per year. And along with its legendary status, this scarcity means Masseto is hard to get your hands on. A legendary status also places Masseto as the most exclusive, expensive, and prestigious Super Tuscan on the market - if not the most prestigious of all Italian wines.

Extreme Conditions Create Sublime Results - Masseto Is A Flowing Kaleidoscope

Majestic descriptions of Masseto wine as a whole are not withheld. It is also a fact that the Masseto soil has extreme conditions that require great respect for the weather and place significant demands on the winemaker.

Axel Heinz, Estate Director at Masseto, says the following:

"Opening a bottle of Masseto is the equivalent of unleashing liquid Kaleidoscope [...] It's the perfect balance between nature and climate; there, humans play a fundamental role."

And although Axel Heinz is biased in describing his darling, there is still a broad consensus that Masseto is liquid quality. Kaleidoscopic or not. Masseto is simply on a level where the other original Super Tuscans get left behind. When averaged across the last 10 vintages*, Masseto is, on average, 10% better than its Super Tuscan counterparts - the picture speaks for itself:

The 2019 Masseto is a brand-new release, and the quality is sublime here too. Vinous gives 98+ points, Wine Advocate gives 98 points, and James Suckling gives 99 points. With 98.3 points on average across the three reviewers, very few vintages** outperform it, placing it among the very best - not only in its own ranks but indeed in the 2019 vintage overall.

Indeed, Antonio Galloni, the ultimate Italian expert, has tasted his way through the 2019 vintage, and in his Super Tuscany review, the 2019 Masseto is voted the big winner.

*The 2010-2019 vintage.
**2016 (99.3p), 2015 (99.3p), 2006 (99.3p), 2001 (98.7p), 1998 (98.5p)

Data Truly Supports The Investment Potential

Masseto is in a league of its own, but the Super Tuscan also excels as an investment asset. If we are to have an idea of what the future may hold, it might be a good idea to look back. The 2010 vintage is excellent in Tuscany, and the 2010 Masseto, like the 2019 vintage, received 98+ points from Vinous, so it makes sense to look at how the 2010 vintage has fared since its release.

2010 Masseto, under the management of RareWine Invest, has returned 94.2% since December 2016, giving an average annual return of 12%. Furthermore, according to wine-seracher.com, between September 2013 and September 2022, the 2010 Masseto has risen 123%, giving an average annual increase of 9.3%. But why this difference? This simply underlines the point that wine investment is a long-term investment, with the most significant returns to be expected as time passes, the wine matures, and supply reduces.

As mentioned, this is not the first time we have dealt with Masseto. Below you can see how Masseto has fared since our initial recommendations:

- 2015 Masseto was offered in 2018 and has since returned 47%.
- 2016 Masseto was offered for investment in August 2020 and has since returned 50%.
- Furthermore, through RareWine Invest, you could invest in 2017 Masseto in October 2021, which has since given a return of 3% (here, the point about the time horizon is confirmed again).

However, this is twisted; it only underlines Masseto's deserved greatness. The only challenge is that there is not nearly enough to go around. So even though the price is historically rising for the long haul, it's while the wine is young and available that you should strike if you want to make sure you get in. The 2019 Masseto has just been released, so if you want to get in from the start, now is the time.

RareWine Invest’s Opinion

The wine world's accolades come with excellent, consistent performance on returns and quality. It's no wonder that Masseto has taken the throne as the best, most expensive, and most prestigious Super Tuscan - and is also in close competition to take that place among all Italian wines. This is the ultimate status symbol that creates fame and, thus, demand.

Historically, prices only rise in earnest as volumes dwindle from the market. Here, the quantities are minimal already at release - in other words, this is your opportunity to procure while quantities are for sure, as well as to be there right from the start.

Great returns, top Italian ranking, undisputed Super Tuscan status - both over the past 10 vintages and specifically in the 2019 vintage- the conditions don't get any better.

Here at RareWine Invest, volumes are also extremely limited, so we recommend acting quickly if you want to secure a position in the Super Tuscan of all Super Tuscans - the one to rule them all.