Tenuta La Massa

Giampaolo Motta is called a lateral thinker by many colleagues. In any case, he is always good for surprises. Born in Naples, he worked in renowned wineries in the Chianti Classico region. His favourite wines, however, were from Bordeaux. No wonder then that he soon found himself in famous chateaux. It was there that the idea was born that it must be possible to press red wines of the same quality in Tuscany.

In 1992 he was fortunate enough to purchase an old winery, the Tenuta La Massa, in the best location of Panzano in Chianti. "Conca d'Oro" - the golden bowl - is what the locals call this south-facing huge depression in the landscape, which looks like an oversized clam full of vines. The name, however, comes from the time when wheat was still cultivated here, which in the light of the afternoon sun made the natural amphitheatre glow golden. Today it is a lush green of the vines that have long dominated here. However, the Tenuta La Massa was already mentioned here with wine in documents in the 15th century.

For ten years Giampaolo Motta, with the help of the star oenologist Carlo Ferrini and Stéphane Derenoncourt from Bordeaux as advisors, experimented with the grape varieties laid down in the Consorzio Chianti Classico, with various clones and rootstock vines, Guyot and Cordon training and - finally, he surprisingly left the association. He did not want to be restricted anymore: "After ten years of work, I was not really happy with the result." Success soon proved him right, because his "Giorgo Primo", which originally featured varying proportions of the Bordeaux varieties Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot or Alicante Bouschet, depending on the vintage, in addition to Sangiovese, climbed rapidly into the Olympus of Italian top wines and is now a pure Bordeaux cuvée with a main proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon, which matures excellently in the Conca d'Oro. His "second wine" La Massa is a cuvée with Sangiovese as main variety and married with Bordeaux varieties. Named after his daughter Carla, this wine is a selection of the best Sangiovese grapes.

Giampaolo Motta never allowed himself to be subjected to the regulations of the BIO associations. Smiling, he explains "neither organic nor biodynamic - but logical and dynamic". "I live here and therefore have no interest in pesticides or systemic treatments" he adds.

When you enter his newly built cellar when the grapes are delivered, you see neither tanks nor barrels, but a chessboard floor made of black and white tiles. And on each side 6 stainless steel closures embedded in the floor. Nothing else. No hoses, no pumps. Everything here runs only by gravity from top to bottom. Because underneath these closures are the fermentation tanks, one floor below. Okay, this is different at harvest time. Because there are conveyor belts on the chessboard and lots of employees who sort the delivered grapes by hand, because only the best are allowed downstairs. Giampaolo Motta himself developed a uniquely gentle, sophisticated stirring system to push the mash down.

In Bordeaux, Motta had also met the architect Bernard Mazieres, who renovated Château Petrus, Mouton-Rothschild and Château Latour, among others - who probably paid much more than Giampaolo Motta, who simply invited and hosted the architect until he was overwhelmed by the charm of the landscape, as well as the charm, the attention to detail and the uncompromising nature of the host and began to plan. This too was probably rather surprising.

The most recent surprise came in November 2018, when Giampaolo Motta, by now successful and awarded worldwide, sold 40% each to the Tommasi wine group from Valpolicella and Ermen Minari, a manager of a French high rack logistics company, to enable further investments in vineyards, he announced. He will retain 20% and the management of the winery. The outstanding quality of La Massa's wines is therefore assured.
The Tommasi wine dynasty from Valpolicella has been buying or investing in vineyards across Italy for more than twenty years. In the Maremma at Poggio al Tufo, in Montalcino at Podere Casisano, in Basilicata at Azienda Paternoster, in Oltrepò Pavese at Tenuta Caseo and in Manduria at Masseria Surani.  SUPERIORE.DE

"Giampaolo Motta's Fattoria La Massa is one of my favorite estates in Panzano-in-Chainti. This tasting served as a happy reminder of why I love these wines so much. The 2012 Giorgio Prima is impeccable. It is a small miracle in what most agree was not an easy vintage. Mr. Motta evidently has that magic touch. I loved this set of new releases and was particularly thrilled to try a new wine: The IGT Toscana Carla 6 that left me extremely satisfied. In truth, I was floored by it."Robert Parker