I am a sucker for the unabashedly bold wines of Washington State. Just as the name suggests, Massalto is a bigger style of Washington wine that is crafted by Matias Kusulas. Michael Ruhland, and winemaker Kusulas have founded this project that is now has been running for several years. The first wines were not as good as what is currently released — these have improved considerably since the winery’s inception.
Matias sources from some top sites in the Royal Slope AVA, including the Thunderstone and Stoneridge Vineyards. The wines are unabashedly large but also show wonderful minerality to back things up.
Matias was very excited about the new wines when I tasted with him. I absolutely adored the new 2020 Massalto ‘Facade’ White Pinot Noir (OB, 94) which is very subtle and nuanced, showing amazing flavor range. Don’t miss out on the 2020 Massalto ‘Side Effect’ Syrah (OB, 95) which is wonderfully stony and shows insanely good texture and flavor range, coming from the famed Stoneridge Vineyard. Learn more about these beautiful new wines at massalto.com and here are my reviews of the new Massalto wines.
2020 Massalto ‘Facade’ White Pinot Noir- Coming from the Solaksen Vineyard in the Royal Slope AVA, this spent 22 months in 30% new French oak before bottling. Macadamia nut, kiwi and juicy pear on the nose. The palate is big and bold with serious flavor density, showing gorgeous nutty and earthy character alongside melon fruits. Drink 2023-2030- 94
2021 Massalto ‘Extravaganza’ Cinsault- This 2021 comes from the Thunderstone Vineyard which is neighboring the Stoneridge Vineyard. Whole cluster fermented, this shows creosote, red currants and sandalwood notes on the nose. The palate shows good weight with lovely underlying finesse. Rich and displaying a gorgeous core of red fruits, this is juicy and delicious stuff that will cellar well for another seven plus years. Drink 2023-2029- 93
2020 Massalto ‘Artisan’ Malbec- Coming from the Scarline and Stoneridge Vineyard, this 100% Malbec was stored in 30% new French oak before bottling. The nose is smoky and deep with creosote and violets that combine with dark chocolate shavings and espresso grounds. The palate is very fresh with wonderful concentration and verve, showing some nice stony and salty nuance. Beautiful volume and weight, this is showing great right now. Drink 2023-2030- 93
2020 Massalto ‘Interstellar’ Mourvedre- This 2020 Mourvèdre comes from the Thunderstone Vineyard and saw 40% whole cluster fermentation. Iodine, white pepper dusted bacon and black plum notes all evolve on the nose. The texture from the 30% new French oak shows beautifully. Concentrated and very geeky with serious flavor and aromatic range, this is beautiful wine that is drinking great right now. Drink 2023-2029- 93
2020 Massalto ‘The Point of No Return’ Grenache- This was aged for 22 months in 30% new French oak, this 2022 Grenache from the Thunderstone Vineyard shows off great richness and texture. Layers of pretty red fruits with creosote, wet stone, and cardamom all greet you alongside blood orange zest, giving you a beautiful sensation of sweet and sour. Drink 2023-2030- 94
2020 Massalto ‘Side Effect’ Syrah- Coming from the famed Stoneridge Vineyard in the Royal Slope AVA, this 2020 Syrah was aged in 30% new French oak before bottling. The nose shows insanely good range with beef drippings, white pepper and suggestions of baking spices laced with Hoisin sauce. The palate is deep and concentrated with insanely good flavor range and serious underlying tension. This is serious stuff that is already beautifully evolved. Drink 2023-2030- 95