Le Macchiole

Le Macchiole was founded in 1983, when Eugenio Campolmi and his wife Cinzia Merli left the family's shop business and bought 4 hectares of vineyard on Via Bolgherese, near Bolgheri's Contessine area, according to the Bolgheri DOC consortium. Eugenio, who was born and raised in the Bolgheri area, was among the first growers in the appellation to plant and harvest Cabernet Franc and Syrah, per the consortium's own account of the estate. Paleo Rosso, first produced in 1989, started out as what the estate's own site calls a classic Bordeaux blend before becoming a 100% Cabernet Franc monovarietal from the 2001 vintage. Messorio (100% Merlot) and Scrio (100% Syrah) followed in 1994, both bottled as single-variety wines from their first vintage. Eugenio Campolmi died in July 2002.

• Founded 1983 by Eugenio Campolmi and Cinzia Merli, who left the family's shop business and bought 4 hectares on Via Bolgherese near Bolgheri's Contessine area (Bolgheri DOC consortium)
• Eugenio Campolmi among the first growers in the appellation to plant and harvest Cabernet Franc and Syrah, per the consortium
• Paleo Rosso first produced 1989 as a Bordeaux blend, per the estate's site, becoming 100% Cabernet Franc from the 2001 vintage; Messorio and Scrio both first produced 1994 as single-variety wines from the start

According to the estate's own site, Cinzia Merli now runs Le Macchiole "with the essential support of her sons Elia and Mattia," describing the team as "one big family that never ceases to innovate." The Bolgheri DOC consortium's own producer listing names the same three people, Cinzia Merli, Mattia Campolmi and Elia Campolmi, as behind the estate today. Eugenio Campolmi (d. 2002). A 2002 Wine Spectator obituary of Campolmi noted that consulting enologist Luca d'Attoma had worked with him on Paleo since 1989; a separate 2003 Wine Spectator profile of d'Attoma states that he started his own consulting business in 1991, after two years as chief winemaker at a cooperative winery near Pisa, and credits him with helping make Tuscany's acclaimed 1997 vintage of Messorio.

• Cinzia Merli runs the estate today with sons Elia and Mattia Campolmi, per the estate's own site and the Bolgheri DOC consortium
• Eugenio Campolmi (d. 2002)
• Consulting enologist Luca d'Attoma: per a 2002 Wine Spectator obituary, worked with Campolmi on Paleo since 1989; per a 2003 Wine Spectator profile, started his own consulting practice in 1991 and helped make the 1997 vintage of Messorio

Le Macchiole farms in Bolgheri on Tuscany's Etruscan Coast, where the estate's own territory page describes a "dry, gently ventilated climate" with temperatures slightly lower than the rest of the Tuscan coast. The Bolgheri appellation's first regulations date to 1983, with the DOC established in early 1984, per the same page, which also counts 27 separate soil types within the appellation and describes most of the area's terrain as clayey, sandy and alkaline, with a fine but substantial mineral skeleton. The estate's own vineyards page lists roughly 86 acres spread across named plots, including Puntone, Vignone, three Casanuova parcels, Sommi, Casavecchia, Ulivino, Livrone, Quercione, Lamentano and Vallone, and states that the estate farms organically, with manual harvesting and double sorting of the grapes in the cellar. The Bolgheri DOC consortium separately lists the estate's current holdings at 34 hectares.

• Bolgheri DOC: first regulations 1983, DOC established early 1984; 27 soil types identified in the appellation; terrain mostly clayey, sandy and alkaline with a fine mineral skeleton, per the estate's own territory page
• Vineyards: roughly 86 acres per the estate's own site, spread across named plots including Puntone, Vignone, three Casanuova parcels, Sommi, Casavecchia, Ulivino, Livrone, Quercione, Lamentano and Vallone; the Bolgheri DOC consortium separately lists 34 hectares
• Farmed organically, with manual harvesting and double sorting of the fruit in the cellar, per the estate's own site

Le Macchiole's own site lists five wines. Messorio, first produced in 1994, is a 100% Merlot the estate describes as "a personal challenge" meant to move away from Merlot's "more soft, predictable style"; its name refers to the wheat harvest. Its 2023 technical sheet lists fruit from the Vignone and Ulivino plots, guyot training, a yield of 900 grams per plant, fermentation and maceration for 20 days in concrete tanks, and 16 months of aging in new oak barrels, a conical trunk cask and stoneware amphora. Scrio, also first produced in 1994, is a 100% Syrah the site calls "rare and original," made in very small quantities; its name is drawn from a Tuscan expression meaning "pure, candid, whole." Its 2023 technical sheet lists fruit from Vignone and Casavecchia, guyot and head-trained vines, a 900-gram yield, 20 days of fermentation and maceration in concrete tanks and stoneware amphora, and 12 months of aging in tonneaux, a conical trunk cask, and ceramic and stoneware amphora. Paleo Rosso, first produced in 1989, was originally what the site calls "a classic Bordeaux blend" before becoming a 100% Cabernet Franc monovarietal from the 2001 vintage; its 2023 technical sheet lists fruit from Casa Nuova, Vignone and Ulivino, an 800-gram yield, 40 days of fermentation and maceration in concrete tanks, and the same 16-month aging regimen as Messorio. Paleo Bianco, first produced in 1991, blends Chardonnay with a smaller portion of Sauvignon Blanc and is made in extremely small quantities; its 2024 technical sheet lists an 8-month aging regimen split between new oak barrel and tonneaux (10%), second-through-fourth-passage barrel and tonneaux (70%), and Tava amphora (20%). Bolgheri Rosso, first bottled in 2004, blends Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Sangiovese; its 2024 technical sheet lists a 10-month aging regimen of 60% third- and fourth-use oak barrels and 40% concrete.

• Messorio: 100% Merlot, first vintage 1994; 2023 technical sheet lists 16 months of aging in new oak, a conical trunk cask and stoneware amphora
• Scrio: 100% Syrah, first vintage 1994; 2023 technical sheet lists 12 months of aging in tonneaux, a conical trunk cask, and ceramic and stoneware amphora
• Paleo Rosso: a Bordeaux blend from 1989, 100% Cabernet Franc from the 2001 vintage; 2023 technical sheet lists the same 16-month aging as Messorio
• Paleo Bianco (Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, first vintage 1991) and Bolgheri Rosso DOC (Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Sangiovese, first vintage 2004) round out the five-wine lineup

Messorio's 2004 vintage was rated a perfect 100 points by James Suckling, who visited the estate to taste the wine with Cinzia Merli for a Wine Spectator video segment. In Wine Spectator's 2018 Top 100 Wines Tuscany tasting report, the magazine noted Le Macchiole's Toscana Messorio 2013 at 96 points among Bolgheri's other new releases that year. James Suckling's own Top 100 Wines of 2018 ranking, as reported by the Italian wine-news outlet WineNews, placed Le Macchiole's Scrio 2015 at No. 8 with a perfect 100-point score, alongside Marchesi Antinori's Solaia 2015 at No. 9. Separately, Le Macchiole's Paleo Rosso was included among Decanter critic Ian D'Agata's picks of Italy's leading Cabernet Franc wines; the estate's US importer, Vintus, described the feature as profiling Le Macchiole as "Italy's most important estate in producing the country's best Cabernet Franc."

• Messorio 2004: 100 points, James Suckling for Wine Spectator, per a Wine Spectator video with Cinzia Merli
• Messorio 2013: 96 points, Wine Spectator's 2018 Top 100 Wines Tuscany tasting report
• Scrio 2015: 100 points, No. 8 on James Suckling's Top 100 Wines of 2018, per WineNews
• Paleo Rosso featured among Decanter critic Ian D'Agata's picks of Italy's top Cabernet Franc wines, per the estate's importer Vintus

Tours at Le Macchiole are private and by reservation only, and can be arranged in Italian, English or French, per the estate's own site; animals are not allowed, and for safety reasons children under 12 are not accepted. The Bolgheri DOC consortium lists the estate as closed to visitors on Saturdays and Sundays. Beyond winemaking, the estate's own site describes a number of cultural projects "that bring together wine, poetry, history, places, and people," including murals by Tellas and Ozmo and a Mondocana comic-book collaboration. The site also states that 2012 was dedicated to the 20th anniversary of Paleo, marked by vertical tastings held across Italy and abroad and a photography exhibition by Maurizio Gjivovich; the Paleo Club was created that year and, per the site, remains active today.

• Tours private, by reservation only, in Italian, English or French; animals not allowed; children under 12 not accepted for safety reasons, per the estate's own site
• Closed to visitors Saturday and Sunday, per the Bolgheri DOC consortium
• Cultural projects include murals by Tellas and Ozmo and a Mondocana comics collaboration, per the estate's projects page
• 2012: 20th-anniversary Paleo vertical tastings and a photography exhibition; the Paleo Club, founded that year, remains active, per the estate's site

Primary sources (producer's own site): https://www.lemacchiole.it/en/azienda.html, https://www.lemacchiole.it/en/territorio.html, https://www.lemacchiole.it/en/vigneti.html, https://www.lemacchiole.it/en/vini/messorio.html, https://www.lemacchiole.it/en/vini/scrio.html, https://www.lemacchiole.it/en/vini/paleorosso.html, https://www.lemacchiole.it/en/vini/paleobianco.html, https://www.lemacchiole.it/en/vini/bolgherirosso.html, https://www.lemacchiole.it/en/visita.html, https://www.lemacchiole.it/en/contatti.html, https://www.lemacchiole.it/en/progetti.html, https://www.lemacchiole.it/en/ventiannipaleo.html. Secondary sources: Bolgheri DOC consortium's producer listing for Le Macchiole, Wine Spectator (Eugenio Campolmi obituary, July 2002; Luca d'Attoma profile, November 2003; "100-Point Tuscan" video page; 2018 Top 100 Wines Tuscany tasting report), WineNews (2018), and the estate's US importer Vintus's recap of a Decanter feature by Ian D'Agata. Last verified 2026-09-09. Where the producer's site and a secondary source disagree, the producer's site governs; see conflicts.json. Spot something off? Submit a correction: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdM0MsYoQFCpXb4qbSPVM2TBRuC2624pOhrffs7IGhpfGCCQA/viewform