Massolino Barbaresco 2019
- Decanter
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James
Suckling -
Robert
Parker -
Wine
Spectator
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
The 2019 is the first vintage ever for Massolino with Barbaresco. A precise, even reductive style typical of the estate, it has an amazing definition of violet, rose and rhubarb melded with balsamic whiffs and savoury liquorice in depth. Firm acidity and tannins dominate the palate with elegance and integration; a woven structure which flows with dusty, ripe tannins and lifted freshness. More elegant than powerful, its quintessentially Barbaresco and not without sufficient concentration for ageing.
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James Suckling
A pretty mineral nose showing blood orange, rust and a racy, dark raspberry and cranberry character. A hint of dry earth and vanilla as well. Very firm and sinewy with a medium-to full-bodied palate, showing impressive purity and fine grip. Very well-made.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The Massolino 2019 Barbaresco offers fine and delicate fiber with plenty of wild berry, blue flower, licorice and crushed stone. With 10,000 bottles produced, this wine remains a fresh and accessible taste of Nebbiolo from the gentle hills of Barbaresco.
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Wine Spectator
Delivers juicy strawberry, cherry, herbal and mineral flavors that buffer the spine of tannins. Well-balanced, this stays defined and linear on the finish.
The history of the Massolinos and their wine became entwined with the history of Serralunga d’Alba in 1896, when Giovanni Massolino founded the estate. An enterprising, tenacious, and creative man, Giovanni was the very first person to bring electricity to the village. Giovanni’s son, Giuseppe, built Massolino’s first wine cellar, extended the estate into the best soils, and in 1934 founded the Consortium for the Defence of Barolo and Barbaresco. Three of Giovanni’s children later followed in his footsteps, expanding the estate with the purchase of cru vineyards which are authentic jewels: Margheria, Parafada, and Vigna Rionda. In the 1990s, Franco and Roberto, both oenologists, joined the family estate. Their work condenses the experience of an entire family and the ambition of a new generation, determined to make an important contribution to the innovation of oenological and agronomical techniques and to the image of the estate in Italy and abroad. Massolino makes wine with passion in its land of origin, preserving the typical characteristics of indigenous grape varieties. Central to the winery’s philosophy is the conviction that there is a deep, tangible link between the vines, hills, and winegrowers, whose connection and affinity to the land grows more profound with each passing year.
Responsible for some of the most elegant and age-worthy wines in the world, Nebbiolo, named for the ubiquitous autumnal fog (called nebbia in Italian), is the star variety of northern Italy’s Piedmont region. Grown throughout the area, as well as in the neighboring Valle d’Aosta and Valtellina, it reaches its highest potential in the Piedmontese villages of Barolo, Barbaresco and Roero. Outside of Italy, growers are still very much in the experimentation stage but some success has been achieved in parts of California. Somm Secret—If you’re new to Nebbiolo, start with a charming, wallet-friendly, early-drinking Langhe Nebbiolo or Nebbiolo d'Alba.
A wine that most perfectly conveys the spirit and essence of its place, Barbaresco is true reflection of terroir. Its star grape, like that in the neighboring Barolo region, is Nebbiolo. Four townships within the Barbaresco zone can produce Barbaresco: the actual village of Barbaresco, as well as Neive, Treiso and San Rocco Seno d'Elvio.
Broadly speaking there are more similarities in the soils of Barbaresco and Barolo than there are differences. Barbaresco’s soils are approximately of the same two major soil types as Barolo: blue-grey marl of the Tortonion epoch, producing more fragile and aromatic characteristics, and Helvetian white yellow marl, which produces wines with more structure and tannins.
Nebbiolo ripens earlier in Barbaresco than in Barolo, primarily due to the vineyards’ proximity to the Tanaro River and lower elevations. While the wines here are still powerful, Barbaresco expresses a more feminine side of Nebbiolo, often with softer tannins, delicate fruit and an elegant perfume. Typical in a well-made Barbaresco are expressions of rose petal, cherry, strawberry, violets, smoke and spice. These wines need a few years before they reach their peak, the best of which need over a decade or longer. Bottle aging adds more savory characteristics, such as earth, iron and dried fruit.