The Buyer | Cinzia Merli and the singular vision of Bolgheri pioneer Le Macchiole

While Bolgheri became famous for its blends, Le Macchiole made the radical choice to focus on varietal purity with many high density vines – making monovarietal Merlot and Cabernet Franc wines way before anyone else did on the Tuscan coast. In the heart of the DOC, its 30 hectares of vineyards (along with those of Sassicaia and Ornellaia) are the oldest and most established vines in the region, planted by Cinzia Merli and her husband Eugenio in 1983. After her husband’s premature death in 2002, Cinzia has been running the estate with her two sons, carrying on Eugenio’s vision, converting to organics and making wines that are sought-after worldwide – full bodied-wines that have great finesse and freshness at their core – Paleo Rosso, its premium 100% Cabernet Franc flagship even has its own fan club. In an in-depth interview Cinzia Merli, newly-elected president of Bolgheri DOC, explains Le Macchiole’s vision to Peter Dean, what the relationship should be between the winemaker and Bolgheri’s terroir and why it is still important to prove that, in high-level agriculture it is not a ‘man’s world’.