Le Macchiole Scrio 2020

Scrio 2020, the singular Syrah of Le Macchiole

I recommend the Scrio 2020 for its rare approach in Tuscany: letting Syrah speak, a grape close to the estate founder's heart. Aged in wood and made in very limited production, this red seeks balance between the depth of Mediterranean fruit and the freshness of a cooler climate.

A Tuscan Syrah, between Bolgheri and IGP Toscana

Le Macchiole is a family estate founded in the 1980s by Eugenio Campolmi, in the Bolgheri region. After his death, his wife and children carried on his work. The estate makes wines using ecological and biodynamic practices. The Scrio is labeled IGP Toscana and comes from two parcels farmed ecologically, with biodynamic treatments rather than chemical ones. Yields are very low; the grapes are hand-harvested and picked early.

For the 2020 vintage, the grape is Syrah. Maceration and fermentation last about twenty days in stainless steel tanks, then the wine spends twelve months in oak barrels: 75% new and 25% previously used. Twenty-one months of bottle aging precede its release. The tasting sheet does not specify the color of the robe or any particular aromas; I prefer not to invent them for you. It does, however, place the wine on the spicy side, with a score of 7 out of 9, marked by the wood at 6 out of 9, and with a full body rated 8 out of 9. These markers suggest a structured red, where the Mediterranean fruit and the freshness claimed by the estate come together.

At the table, with red meats and game

I would serve it with a red meat or a game dish, pairings suggested for this wine and well suited to its generous substance and barrel aging. For a dinner where you want to take the time to discover a Tuscan Syrah, give it a place at the center of the table. The Scrio 2020 tells a precise story: expressing the founder's favorite grape, through early-picked fruit and a long passage in wood and then in bottle. An invitation to taste Tuscany by a different path than its most expected reds.