Tasting Notes
On the western hills above Neive, Albesani is one of the shining stars of Barbaresco. In his Barbaresco MGA, Masnaghetti writes that here, “the combination of soil, stature and exposure creates one of the greatest vineyards of the Langhe”. So, perhaps it won’t be a surprise that of the three Barbaresco parcels, Massolino chose to bottle its first single-vineyard wine from this site. As Franco Massolino explains, “From the very first moment this wine began to ferment, we knew we were dealing with a superb expression of Nebbiolo.” Of its two hectares in Albesani, Massolino used only 0.6 hectares of vines for this bottling. The vines were planted 50 years ago at 260 metres above sea level on soils of limestone, clay and marl with a southwest exposure.
The winemaking mirrors that of the Barbaresco above. As reflected in the price, this is a big step up from the blend, a gorgeous, supple Barbaresco with alluring, lifted scents of red fruit, dried flower and sweet tobacco leading to a classically shaped palate of exciting depth, freshness and superb length. - 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 |