La Massa La Massa Carla 6 2017 750ml

Lots of ripe cherry with floral and citrus-rind undertones. Full-bodied with creamy tannins and a pretty finish of delicious berries and hints of sandalwood. Subtle and complex. Needs time to soften, but already a beauty. Pristine. Drink after 2021.

The 2017 Carla 6, La Massa's 100% Sangiovese, is fleshy, succulent and incredibly inviting. Sweet red cherry, kirsch, mint, blood orange and spice give the 2017 its racy feel. There is plenty of Sangiovese character, and yet a: the same time, proprietor Giampaolo Motta has succeeded in crafting a wine that has its own distinctive personality. I can't think of many pure Sangioveses that manage to be opulent and also varietal.<br/><br/>

Here’s a wine that is completely new to me (but I am thrilled by the introduction). The 2012 Carla 6 is a spectacular expression of 100% Sangiovese with bursting berry and cherry aromas that give the wine an immense sense of buoyancy and vertical lift. Spice, leather, tobacco, cola, and licorice flood in at the rear and add to the wine’s wide aromatic foundation. The tannins are silky smooth and the wine glides clear over the palate in seamless fashion. One third of the wine is aged in new oak and the rest sees six months of cement. It’s an absolute beauty. (Monica Larner)

A pure expression of Sangiovese, the Fattoria la Massa 2017 Carla 6 is an exacting and precise expression of the grape with pure delineation and a long succession of cherry and wild berry aromas. Grapes are sourced from the slightly higher plot of vines to the right of the main drive that descends to the Fattoria la Massa winery. The wine is softly embroidered and detailed with integrated tannins and lots of glossy silkiness on the polished finish.

The 2012 Carla VI, 100% Sangiovese, shows just how rich and concentrated Sangiovese can be in this part of Chianti Classico. Plum, red cherry, cinnamon and new leather flesh out in a sumptuous, large-scaled wine built on power and intensity. There is good varietal definition in the glass, but all the flavors are amped up. (Antonio Galloni)