Le Macchiole

Le Macchiole was founded in 1983 by Eugenio Campolmi and Cinzia Merli in the Bolgheri area of Castagneto Carducci, in the province of Livorno. It began as a small family project and became one of the estates most associated with single-variety wines on the Tuscan coast.

The wines

Paleo is the estate's Cabernet Franc, Messorio its Merlot and Scrio its Syrah: three wines that treat a single grape as a subject rather than a component. Alongside them the house makes Bolgheri Rosso and a white, and the range rewards a tasting where the wines are compared rather than simply admired.

Le Macchiole is also a good example of how Bolgheri changed: the first vineyards were planted in the 1980s, and the estate grew without the history of a noble family behind it.

Visiting

Visits are by appointment and arranged directly with the estate. We do not publish hours, prices or availability; Roc Villa Bay has no relationship with the winery. Ask specifically whether the visit includes the vineyards or only the cellar, and whether the single-variety wines are part of the tasting.

A base on the coast

Roc Villa Bay is in Castiglioncello, on the Etruscan Riviera, with four bedrooms, three private units, more than 4,000 m² of garden and two private accesses to the sea. It is a house for families and small groups rather than a hotel, and it works well for travellers who want one or two wine days inside a seaside holiday.

See the Bolgheri wineries guide, the honest note on villas near Bolgheri, and the enquiry form for dates.