Masseto, A Shining Star in the Tuscan Wine Industry

Tuscany’s Masseto, a shining star in the Tuscan wine industry, is one of the world’s most prestigious and profitable wine sales. Recently, Sotheby’s, the prestigious wine auction house, auctioned off 132 bottles of Masseto wines, including the main bottle Nabucodonosor 2010, which sold for an incredible €56,250, three times its original estimated value. The auction itself raised a total of €376,625.

A Collector’s Dream: The Rarity and Value of Masseto Wines

Located in Bolgheri, one of the most iconic locations in Tuscany, the region is home to some of the world’s finest wines, including Argentiera, Guado al Tasso, and Sassicaia.

But it is the Masseto wine, produced by the Frescobaldi Group, that stands out. The winery houses a cellar filled with treasures sought after by the most important collectors, capable of competing with the most renowned wines in the world.

With an invaluable value, Masseto’s historic bottles achieved extraordinary results in the recent sale, attracting collectors from all over Europe, the Americas, and Asia. Over the years, Masseto has become one of the most sought-after and appreciated Tuscan wines in the world, maintaining a unique position in the pantheon of collectible wines.

Masseto is a world-renowned Tuscan wine, highly coveted by wine connoisseurs worldwide. It has a long-established pedigree and a unique place in the pantheon of collectible wines, born out of a small patch of the million-year-old Pliocene clay soil on the Tuscan Coast.

The Masseto | The Caveau Release collection spans three decades of vintages, including the 2006, 2010, and 2011 vintages, contained in 35 cases. The auction also included magnums, double magnums, imperials, and an outstanding Nebuchadnezzar.

Although Masseto estate is rarely open to the public, the successful bidders were extended an invitation to host some of them. Lots 16-46 included exclusive visits and private tastings, and bidders had the rare opportunity to lunch at Masseto as part of a combined lot with an extremely rare Nebuchadnezzar of the 2010 vintage (lot 46).

To commemorate the unique provenance of this once-in-a-lifetime auction, each bottle from the sale has been conditioned with a special Masseto label printed “Caveau April 2023”. The original corks were intact, and each capsule bore the Prooftag © anti-counterfeiting device with “Caveau” printed around their collar, unless otherwise stated.

Masseto’s Nabucodonosor 2010: The Wine that Sold for €56,250

The result of Sotheby’s auction is available at this link. Below are some examples of the prices collected:

Wine	Price sold	Estimated price
Masseto 2010 (1 NEBR)	56,250 EUR	18,000 – 26,000 EUR
Masseto 2016 (1 IMP)	15,000 EUR	6,000 – 8,000 EUR
Masseto 2011 (1 IMP)	11,250 EUR	6,500 – 8,500 EUR
Masseto 2010 (1 IMP)	13,750 EUR	8,000 – 10,000 EUR
Masseto 2010 (1 IMP)	12,500 EUR	8,000 – 10,000 EUR
Masseto 2006 (1 IMP)	12,500 EUR	7,000 – 10,000 EUR
Masseto 2001 (1 IMP)	15,000 EUR	7,500 – 11,000 EUR

It’s worth noting that some lots include, in addition to the bottle, an exclusive private visit to the Masseto cellars in Tuscany.

“These important results, not least the price of Nabucodonosor, attest to the quality of the wine produced by Masseto and highlight the unprecedented opportunity to buy bottles directly from the cellar,” said Amayès Aouli, head of wine for Sotheby’s Europe.

Masseto’s director, Giovanni Geddes, was also extremely pleased with the sale results, commenting that it was a pleasure to have Sotheby’s as a partner in such a special event. He thanked all the collectors and industry operators for their enthusiasm for Masseto wines, which are a great recognition for the winery.

The success of Masseto is the result of teamwork, as Axel Heinz, the property’s director, pointed out. “We are proud that the work of the entire team is so appreciated internationally, and we are happy to know that these wines will be stored and also appreciated by great enthusiasts who will know how to value them,” he said.

With such prestigious Tuscan wines, it’s no surprise that Tuscany continues to be one of the most important wine regions in the world. Tuscan wines are known for their quality, unique flavor, and unique characteristics that reflect the various producing regions throughout the country. Masseto is just an example of how extraordinary a Tuscan wine can be, and a symbol of excellence in wine production in Tuscany.

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