2020 Le Macchiole Paleo Rosso

Cabernet Franc - 750ML
Reg: $149.94
$124.94
Pre-Arrival: 15 btls
ETA: May. 2025
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REVIEWS

WE 98 VN 97 WA 96 TWI 96 DC 95 JS 95 JD 95 WS 94
WE 98

Wine Enthusiast, December 2023

A riot of pepper lights up the nose, from cracked black to green peppercorn to hot chili. Flint and leather undertones empower the heat, while aromas of raspberry jam and vanilla provide balance. The palate stays spicy...
VN 97

Vinous, August 2023

The 2020 Paleo Rosso is classy, elegant and wonderfully polished. Crushed flowers, spice and blood orange lend brightness. Deceptive in its mid-weight structure, Paleo Rosso offers tons of depth. Historically it has aged...
WA 96

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, May 2023

One of Italy's best Cabernet Francs, the Le Macchiole 2020 Paleo is very dense and richly concentrated with a level of dark fruit that can only be chipped at and broken down by slow cellar aging. Paleo is always a wine...
TWI 96

The Wine Independent, October 2022

The 2020 Le Macchiole Paleo had been bottled for only 20 days when I tasted it in September 2022 and it was full of youthful exuberance and charm. It has an inky, opaque color and a youthful purple rim. The nose is...
DC 95

Decanter, July 2023

Produced since 1989 but 100% Cabernet Franc since 2001, Paleo is the forefather of all other single-varietal Cabernet Franc bottlings in Bolgheri. Today, it is aged for 16 months in both new French oak and gres amphora...
JS 95

jamessuckling.com, August 2023

Lots of black berries and black olives with currants and rosemary. Full-bodied, chewy and rich with intense tannins and a long and powerful finish. Muscular and toned. A little old school. Drink after 2028.
JD 95

jebdunnuck.com, January 2024

A saturated red color and made entirely from Cabernet Franc, the 2020 Paleo is another wine with a lot of bravado, offering beautifully intertwining, classic notes of pencil shavings, toasted sage, cedar, and cassis. At...
WS 94

Wine Spectator, December 2023

Precise, with herb and bell pepper accents to the black currant, black olive, iron and tobacco flavors. Shows underlying vanilla and spice elements from the discrete use of new oak, playing out on the long finish with...

WINE DETAILS

Color & Type Red
Varietal Cabernet Franc
Country Italy
Region Tuscany
Vintage 2020
Size 750ML

Le Macchiole is an estate in Bolgheri, Tuscany on the Etruscan Coast. Founded in 1983 by Eugenio Campolini and Cinzia Merli, the estate has 24 hectares of organically farmed vineyards producing 5 single-variety wines: Paleo Bianco, Bolgheri Rosso, Paleo Rosso, Scrio and Messorio. It was a risky decision to produce single-varietal wines when neighbors such as Sassicaia, Ornellaia, and Guado al Tasso were achieving world-renown for their Super Tuscan Bordeaux blends. But with commitment and determination, they achieved the esteem and recognition deserving of the series of their stunning wines.

Sadly, Eugenio passed away and did not live to see the result of his work but his legacy is continued by his wife Cinzia who works devotedly in the vineyards to demonstrate the purity and unique interpretation of Le Macchiole wines.

Le Macchiole Paleo Rosso was first produced in 1989 and has evolved over time from a classic Bordeaux blend to a 100% varietal Cabernet Franc. This is a beautiful story of obstinacy in challenging the stereotype of Cabernet Franc, which is already difficult to produce, and even more so as a pure varietal wine. Today Paleo Rosso is one of the most individual and distinct, as well as one of the most famous, Cabernet Franc wines produced in Italy. The word Paleo is a common name referring to the “Festuca Pratensis“ of the family Gramineae, a wild herb which grows on the Tuscan coast.

Le Macchiole is an estate in Bolgheri, Tuscany on the Etruscan Coast. Founded in 1983 by Eugenio Campolini and Cinzia Merli, the estate has 24 hectares of organically farmed vineyards producing 5 single-variety wines: Paleo Bianco, Bolgheri Rosso, Paleo Rosso, Scrio and Messorio. It was a risky decision to produce single-varietal wines when neighbors such as Sassicaia, Ornellaia, and Guado al Tasso were achieving world-renown for their Super Tuscan Bordeaux blends. But with commitment and determination, they achieved the esteem and recognition deserving of the series of their stunning wines.

Sadly, Eugenio passed away and did not live to see the result of his work but his legacy is continued by his wife Cinzia who works devotedly in the vineyards to demonstrate the purity and unique interpretation of Le Macchiole wines.