So why did Masseto join La Place de Bordeaux?

It’s said that the decision by Lamberto Frescobaldi to place the distribution of Super Tuscan Masseto in the hands of French negociants in 2009 was the catalyst for other international fine wines to list themselves on La Place de Bordeaux – but why did the marchese do it?

That was revealed during a vertical tasting of Masseto earlier this month in London featuring vintages from the latest 2021 release to one from 1995 – an event that was held for a selection of press to showcase the style and longevity of this great wine, which is made entirely from Merlot, grown in Bolgheri.

Talking about the need to “hold back a bit” of Masseto for customers, as well as tastings such as the one that took place on 4 November, Marchese Lamberto Frescobaldi admitted that it’s “very difficult” to keep stock for a wine that has a level of demand that far outstrips supply.

And it was the issue of a shortage of Masseto for the company’s customers that explained the move five years ago to a French system of distribution, which sees the wine disseminated worldwide by a selection of Bordeaux-based negociants, as opposed to having a single importer/distributor in each market.

Lamberto explained, “A lot of our clients don’t understand why we offer them only three bottles, asking us, have we misbehaved?” referring to the fact that Masseto is so supply-constrained that it sells wine in three-packs – as opposed to the more normal six- or 12-bottle cases.

Indeed, he recorded how, for instance, a restaurant might be so frustrated at not having enough Masseto to meet its requirements, to convey its dissatisfaction it might stop ordering wines from across the Frescobaldi portfolio – with the Super Tuscan formerly sold alongside other brands from this major Italian producer.

“We didn’t know how to manage this,” admitted Lamberto, adding, “We had to move and make Masseto more independent… and that’s why, some years ago, we went to La Place.”

He remarked, “And, at the end of the day, it was a win-win situation” – Masseto has extended its global reach, gone up in price significantly, and become distanced from the rest of the Frescobaldi range of wines, which are still distributed via exclusive importers in each country.

As for the three-bottle rule, that is still applied for trade and private customers who buy direct from the negociants, and, Lamberto stressed, for all Frescobaldi relations too. “We are a family business, and we are very strict with all our relatives, who can’t buy more than three bottles of Masseto per year.”

As you can hear about on a podcast with db Bordeaux correspondent Colin Hay, the concept of selling international fine wines via the French negociants began with Chile’s Almaviva in 1998 which was then followed by California’s Opus One in 2004.

They joined La Place de Bordeaux because they were both linked to the first growth Pauillac property, Château Mouton Rothschild, which was a joint venture partner with each of these great Cabernet Sauvignon blends.

As Hay said of Almaviva and Opus, they had “an inside track because they were linked to a Bordeaux property.”

However, the real growth in Hors (outside) Bordeaux began from 2009, when Masseto released on La Place, making the Super Tuscan the first fine wine to employ the system despite having no previous link to Bordeaux.

Although only three wines from outside Bordeaux sold via La Place in the noughties, today, that figure has expanded hugely to surpass 100 labels, taking in a range of sources, a broad mix of grape varieties, as well as a few white wines and Champagnes too.

Around 30,000 bottles of Masseto are produced annually, and the Frescobaldi family has owned the property since 2005, although the first vintage of the wine was 1987.

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