Massolino Barolo DOCG 2019

Why is this Wine so Yummy?

The first time I tasted Massolino’s wines was amongst 10 Baroli from the 2004 vintage devoured in 2015. The Massolino’s sat firmly in the good half. The standard Barolo was a stunner. The Massolino Dieci Anni (10 years) Vigna Rionda Riserva was a revelation. Only released in the best years it was superb. Balanced, complex, so inviting.

Massolino now have two new wines from Barbaresco in the portfolio, Barbaresco Classico with fruit from the vineyards of Staderi and Serraboella in Neive and a Cru Barbaresco from the fabled Albesani vineyard.

About Massolino

Founded in 1896, Massolino Winery, is based in and around the town of Serralunga, one of the prime sub-zones of the Barolo DOC.

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.

🎧 Listen as Giovanni introduces the Wines and Vineyards

Although a discussion of previous vintages this recording of Giovanni’s last visit to Australia shares great insights into the philosophy of the winery and the 2015 Barolos + 2013 Vigna Rionda.

Where in the World are Massolino’s Vineyards?

Massolino is based in Serralunga, Barolo with the majority of its holding in the commune. As of 2019 they now have access to 3 Cru in Barbaresco: Starderi, Serraboella and Albesani all in the commune of Neive.

If you have a Barolo MGA 360º subscription check out the Vigna Rionda Cru in exceptional detail.