Why it matters
The producer
ColleMassari is a Tuscan wine group whose four estates sit in three of the region's appellations: Montecucco in the Maremma, Bolgheri on the Tyrrhenian coast, and Montalcino in the hill country above the Val d'Orcia. Siblings Claudio Tipa and Maria Iris Bertarelli own all of it, and each estate operates under organic-agriculture principles that were established at purchase, not added later.
The flagship, Castello ColleMassari, anchors the group in Montecucco. The estate covers 1,200 hectares south of Montalcino, with roughly 120 hectares under vine on the rocky hillsides of the Maremma. Grattamacco, the Bolgheri estate, makes a Cabernet-led red in a denomination built on international varieties and maritime air. The group's most critically watched property is Poggio di Sotto, a 48-hectare farm in Castelnuovo dell'Abate, in the southern corner of the Montalcino zone, where 20 hectares of Sangiovese grow across a spread of altitudes on steep ridges beneath Mount Amiata.
Place and vineyards
Where the wines begin
Montecucco is a DOC appellation in the Maremma, the broad coastal and hill zone of southern Tuscany. It sits directly south of Montalcino and shares the same principal grape, Sangiovese, but operates under a separate and younger classification. The ColleMassari estate occupies a working landscape of forest, pasture, and vineyard, with its vines on the hillside sections where the rocky soils drain freely and temperatures drop sharply at night.
Bolgheri, where Grattamacco grows, is a coastal appellation on the Tyrrhenian side of the Maremma. The appellation built its reputation on Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot brought in from Bordeaux varieties, and its warm growing season produces wines with more body and darker fruit than the Sangiovese appellations inland. Grattamacco's Superiore label, a blend dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon, sits within this tradition while the mandatory inclusion of Sangiovese gives the blend a local anchor.
In the cellar
Vineyards and cellar
At Castello ColleMassari, the organic conversion meant stopping synthetic inputs and allowing the vineyard floor to develop naturally. The four-level gravity cellar eliminates pumping at every stage: fruit comes in at the top level, ferments in place, and descends through the cellar as it moves from tank to vessel to bottle. The practical consequence in the wine is gentler handling of the grape skins and must, which reduces extracted harshness and preserves aromatics.
Large French and Slovenian oak vats age the Sangiovese. These vessels impart less wood character than new barriques and allow the wine's own fruit, acidity, and tannin to develop across the maturation period without being overlaid by oak tannin or vanilla.
Wines to know
The range in view
The group's range divides cleanly by appellation and grape.
Castello ColleMassari produces Montecucco DOC wines built on Sangiovese aged in large French and Slovenian oak vats. The large-vessel ageing keeps the wine's Sangiovese character forward: bright cherry and dried herb aromas, firm but not aggressive tannin, and the lively acidity of Sangiovese. The Montecucco label positions these wines in a less-known appellation that works with the same grape as Brunello but at an earlier drinking window and a lower price point.
A useful way in
A bottle to begin with
Start with the Grattamacco Bolgheri Rosso 2024. It is the most accessible bottle in the group's range: Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot in a proportion designed for early drinking rather than extended cellaring. The wine has enough Bolgheri warmth to give it immediate fruit and body, enough Sangiovese to keep it from feeling heavy, and enough freshness to hold interest through a full meal. It is a concrete example of what the group does in Bolgheri before the Superiore adds 18 months of oak and a more demanding tannin profile. Open it at two to four years from vintage.