Tasting Notes
Massolino’s first Barbaresco release is comprised of two wines. The first is a blend of all three parcels now farmed in Neive: Albesani, Serraboella and Starderi. Of these vineyards, Albesani is the best known (and is covered in more detail in the notes of the single-cru bottling). Serraboella, which accounts for the lion’s share of the blend, is one of the most celebrated sites in the eastern sector of Neive. Massolino’s vines here lie on the preferred southwest-facing hill, on light soils overlooking the village. Starderi lies on the western side of Neive; it’s a sunnier terroir that generates power and brings flesh to the blend.
The winemaking is hardly different from that of the Barolo wines. Fermentations are wild and take place in large oak fermenters. Usually they see about three weeks on skins before aging in large Slavonian oak barrels for up to 18 months. As Galloni notes, the inaugural release is “a gorgeous wine by any measure,” and we can tell you that the follow up 2020 is even better. In short, this [was] a super-pure, open and alluring Barbaresco, and a terrific first release. - Importer Note
The Massolino family's greatest asset is of course their 23 hectares of (mostly) Serralunga vineyards, including choice parcels of such famous sites as; Margheria, Parafada and the legendary Vigna Rionda. We say 'mostly' as the Massolino clan recently purchased a slice of the Parussi cru in Castiglione Falletto. Serrralunga, on the eastern edge of the Barolo DOCG, produces some of most profound and long lived Barolo. It is the home of great names such as Giacomo Conterno and Bruno Giacosa's Falletto vineyard. The wines often have an extra stuffing of intense Nebbiolo fruit as well as a remarkable minerality that plays on both the freshness of the tannins and gives the wines a certain ferrous edge when young.
It is fair to say that Massolino holds the most remarkable collection of vineyards in Serralunga, amongst the smaller, quality focused producers anyway. The quality strides at this estate over the last 10-15 years have been remarkable with significant advances made, particularly in the vineyards. Certainly there has also been refinements in the cellars, firstly by Franco Massolino and then by current winemaker Giovanni Angeli (ex Vajra) who has been working with Franco since the 2005 harvest. As always however, it has been the work in the vineyards and the search for expressive and perfectly ripe fruit that has driven the rise in quality at this estate. The resultant improvement here has been very good news for both the commune and Barolo in general. Today the wines of Massolino sit comfortably among the finest of the region ‚– they are wines of wonderful purity and elegance. They are exclusively aged in large casks, so they are 'traditional' and yet they offer the best of the 'old " and 'new " worlds: pure, aromatic, textural, deeply flavoured wines that are at the same time precise, vibrant and distinctly regional. These are wines that score extremely highly on our deliciousness scale. Equally important, these wines are remarkably well priced when compared to the other top producers of the area. - Importer Note
| Product Type | Wine Red Nebbiolo |
| Volume | 750ml |
| Country | Italy |
| Region | Piedmont |
| Sub Region | Barolo |
| Winemaking Practices | Conventional |
| Vineyard Practices | Conventional |