Massolino

In Serralunga d'Alba, everything revolves around Nebbiolo. The limestone, the steep slopes, the microclimate – everything is geared towards it, everything serves Barolo. The fact that the Massolino family also cultivates Dolcetto on these soils has less to do with compromise than with conviction: What comes from a great terroir bears its signature, regardless of the variety – regardless of the variety. 2.5 hectares of Dolcetto at 330 metres, in the shadier plots of the Serralunga hills – because the variety ripens quickly and needs some protection from the midday heat of the limestone slopes. Hand-picked, 7 to 9 days of maceration in steel at around 30 degrees, BSA, short maturation in the bottle – the wine is released at the beginning of the following year.

Massolino's Moscato is a lot of fun, and not just if you drink it in summer. Bright straw yellow in colour. A fresh bouquet of jasmine, honey, mint, wild sage and chalk. The wine's seductive sweetness flows gently over the palate, and a delicious acid wire provides excitement and agility. SUPERIORE.DE

Giovanni Massolino sold his first wine in 1896. It was a Barbera. Since then, it has been the oldest wine of the house, the most constant link between the family and the hills of Serralunga. Four generations, one and the same variety, one and the same promise: to press the Barbera as it is. Massolino calls it "the queen of the Langa table" – and means it without irony. In the Langhe, Barbera is not the entry-level wine that you drink while waiting for Barolo. It is the wine that is opened daily, that accompanies the meal, that carries the company. On the limestone soils of Serralunga – four hectares, well exposed, low yields – it develops more character than elsewhere: more fruit, more tension, more depth. The decision to age it exclusively in steel is an attitude. No barriques, no wood notes, no cladding. 10 to 12 days of maceration at around 30 degrees, BSA, short maturation in steel, release in the spring of the following year. What is in the bottle here is Barbera in purezza.

Serralunga d'Alba is Barolo country. The most limestone-rich soils in the entire appellation, the longest-lived and most structured wines in the zone, the village that pushes Nebbiolo to its limits – and makes it grow there in the first place. The Massolino family has been rooted here since 1896, built the cellar under the historic centre of the village and never considered moving it elsewhere. In 1992, Franco Massolino dared to experiment: Chardonnay on the hills of Serralunga. A provocation in the red wine village. And one that proved to be true – because what these limestone soils give to Nebbiolo, they also give to Chardonnay: structure, minerality, depth, Storage potential. Not a friendly summer wine, but one that bears the signature of its soil. The vinification is as complex as the wine itself: partly in barriques, partly in steel and cement, around 12 months sur lie on the fermentation lees, then at least six months in the bottle – a patience that gives the Chardonnay time to find its feet. Massolino himself calls the monitoring of this vinification "almost obsessive". And rightly so.

The grapes for this Nebbiolo come from several municipalities in the Langhe, where calcareous soils of varying texture lend the variety its characteristic minerality. After around two weeks of fermentation and maceration, the wine matures for over a year in large wooden casks, before the bottle takes over for the final refinement. Garnet red with a youthful radiance and delicate violet highlights. On the nose, raspberry and violet, delicate and inviting, with the potential to develop finer, more mature notes over time. On the palate, it is elegant and supple, with pronounced, well-integrated acidity. A Nebbiolo that is just as compelling as an approachable introduction to the grape variety as it is a standalone, balanced delight for connoisseurs. SUPERIORE.DE

Named after Giuseppe Massolino, the charismatic uncle and long-time ambassador of the winery, Gisep is the majestic interpretation of a grape variety that matures to unimagined depth here. The grapes come from high-altitude, old vineyards in Serralunga d'Alba, whose calcareous and clayey soils give the Barbera natural vigour and firm structure. The 2022 vintage, characterised by a warm summer with cooling September nights, produced grapes of exceptional physiological ripeness. The ageing in large oak barrels ensures harmonious tannins and a deep, persistent flavour.

For years, it remained a dream of the Massolino family to expand their portfolio in Serralunga d'Alba to include their own Barbaresco. It was not until late 2018 that Franco, Roberto and Paola found plots that met their standards, and in 2019 they produced their own Barbaresco for the first time, over a hundred years after the estate was founded. The grapes come from carefully selected vineyards in the Barbaresco area, with soils of varying consistency that bring out a gentler, more approachable side to the Nebbiolo here than in their home town of Serralunga. Following fermentation and maceration in wooden vats at around 30 degrees, the wine matures for approximately 18 months in large wooden barrels before taking on its final form in the bottle in the family's cool, dark cellars.

Massolino's Barbaresco is the quintessence of finely balanced terroir: Nebbiolo grapes from the Starderi, Albesani and Serraboella cru sites mature together to create a complex yet transparent wine. The 2022 vintage provided a balanced climate – warm days and cool nights – which harmoniously blends freshness, finesse and aromatic richness. The colour in the glass is a medium garnet red with bright reflections. The nose exudes a velvety elegance of red fruits, violets, delicate lavender, spicy notes, crushed rock and a hint of orange peel – pure, lively fragrance with contoured clarity. A medium body full of energy unfolds on the palate: silky tannins, lively acidity and polished, mineral tension are the carriers of a fruit-emphasised depth. The finish lingers for a long time – intensely floral, spicy and with vibrant freshness. SUPERIORE.DE

As early as 1947, the Massolino family produced their first Barolo. To this day, they regard it as the holistic expression of their hills – a Barolo blended from several vineyards, and thus one that tells the story of more than a single cru. The soils are of a mixed, slightly calcareous consistency, typical of the area around Serralunga d'Alba. The estate deliberately opts for traditional fermentation vats and large Slavonian oak casks rather than smaller barriques, in order to preserve the wine's purer, unadulterated identity – up to 30 months in large oak, followed by further ageing in cool, dark cellars.

Coming from one of the most historic vineyards in Neive, Albesani is a Barbaresco with a classic character and great precision. The south-western slope with calcareous and clayey soils gives the Nebbiolo here a powerful structure without masking its delicate flavour. Thanks to balanced temperatures and a long growing season, the 2021 vintage produced grapes with optimal phenolic ripeness.

Franco and Roberto Massolino dreamed of this moment for years. A Barbaresco – was missing from their portfolio. But it had to be the right vineyard, the perfect location. Then, at the end of 2018, they struck lucky: Bernardino Gastaldi, an ambitious winemaker from Neive with plots in three of the best MGAs in Barbaresco, offered them a collaboration. Starderi, Serraboella, Albesani – three names that are making history. The first harvest in 2019 and it was clear from the outset that Albesani would be vinified separately. What this hill told was too extraordinary. Two hectares at 230 metres, south-west facing, calcareous-marly clay soils with the characteristic Marna di Sant'Agata Fossili, the fossil rock formation that also forms the foundation of Barolo. Fifty-year-old vines with deep roots. Albesani is recognised by connoisseurs as one of the most beautiful vineyards in Italy – and anyone who has tasted the wine will understand why. Even during fermentation, the brothers realised that this is an exceptional wine. The perfect combination of exposure, altitude and age of the vines produces grapes of a purity and elegance that astonishes even experienced Oenologist.

Albesani is situated in Neive, in the heart of the Barbaresco region, and, at two hectares, is one of the smaller but most carefully selected plots that Massolino discovered in 2018 for its new Barbaresco project, following years of searching. The vines are on average 50 years old and are situated at an altitude of 230 metres in an ideal aspect, on soils of varying consistency which lend the Nebbiolo here a particular depth, markedly different from the calcareous-marly soils of the local Serralunga vineyards. Traditional fermentation and maceration in wooden vats at around 30 degrees, entirely without the smaller barriques commonly used elsewhere in the area, also define the estate's style here. This is followed by up to 18 months in large wooden casks and a further twelve months in the bottle before the wine leaves the cellars of Serralunga d'Alba.

"The Barolo DOCG Margheria comes from the calcareous soil with a slightly higher proportion of sand than in our other sub-areas, which has a strong influence on its character. It was produced for the first time in 1985 and has great ageing potential. The grapes come from our vineyard in the MGA Margheria in Serralunga d'Alba." Franco Massolino

"For the Barolo DOCG Parussi, we left the confines of Serralunga and opted for a vineyard in Castiglione Falletto. Thanks to the characteristics of Nebbiolo, which is perfectly capable of capturing the differences in microclimate and soil composition and translating them into sensations, the result amazed us. Structured, important, austere. Made with Nebbiolo grapes from our vineyard in the MGA Parussi in Castiglione Falletto." Franco Massolino

2006 was the year in which Franco and Roberto Massolino had the courage to venture beyond the boundaries of Serralunga. Parussi – a vineyard in Castiglione Falletto, one and a half hectares at an altitude of 290 metres, situated on the crest of a hill where the vines face between south-east and south-west. A challenge. For anyone who has spent their whole life studying the chalky soils of Serralunga must rethink their approach in Castiglione: here there is less chalk, but more clay and magnesium. Richer soils. More vigorous vines. A different terroir – and the Nebbiolo, that sensitive grape variety, translates every nuance into sensation.

In the 1970s, Giovanni Massolino bought the Parafada – a bold move he dared to make at a time when the economic situation was anything but rosy. But Giovanni was the sort of person who prioritised vision over caution. The vineyard, whose name comes from the hamlet of the same name, lies at an altitude of 320 metres in that famous amphitheatre between Lazzarito and Gabutti, perfectly south-facing. A ridge-top site that offers natural protection from wind and storms – as if nature itself had realised that something special was meant to grow here.

When Giovanni Massolino founded his winery in Serralunga d'Alba in 1896, he was the first to bring electric light to the village. A pioneer. His grandson Giuseppe, co-founder of the legendary Barolo consortium, continued this tradition – and then came the third generation, Giovanni, Camilla and Renato: they wrote a new chapter in 1985 by bottling Margheria separately for the first time. Today, the brothers Franco and Roberto continue the legacy. Both Oenologistwho understand that great wines are not made, but born. Margheria is located on the western edge of Serralunga's famous ridge, just a stone's throw away from the mythical Vigna Rionda – and yet it is its exact opposite. Where Vigna Rionda promises strength and eternity with its calcareous marl, the Margheria site at 280 metres above sea level plays with a higher admixture of sand in the limestone soil. The result: elegance meets structure, floral notes meet mineral depth. Serralunga shows its accessible side here without sacrificing its typical longevity.

"From the very first moments of fermentation of this wine, we realise every year that we are dealing with a very high expression of Nebbiolo. The MGA Albesani is a very beautiful vineyard in the municipality of Neive with ideal exposure and perfect altitude. From there comes a rich, elegant, sometimes austere wine that combines its great appeal with excellent ageing potential." Franco Massolino

"Vigna Rionda Riserva is for us every year the Barolo from Serralunga at the peak of its potential. It is the wine we are most proud of. Vigna Rionda, protagonist of the history of our winery, is one of the most sought-after and prestigious cru sites in the entire Barolo area. We are not just talking about microclimate and soil here: Something very special happens on this hill in Serralunga d'Alba, and this something gives the Vigna Rionda Riserva its life and makes it a truly unique wine." Franco Massolino

In 1956, Giuseppe Massolino fell in love with a vineyard and staked everything on it. To acquire a small part of Vigna Rionda, he swapped a plot that was twice as large. "It's madness," people said. A stroke of luck, as it turned out. For Giuseppe knew that Vigna Rionda was no ordinary vineyard. The name has featured in Giovanni Gagna's book on viticulture in the Langhe since 1879 – as one of the few places that produces exceptional wines. Before 1340, the land belonged to the Margrave of Saluzzo; for centuries afterwards, it belonged to the Falletti family. History records many names for this hill: Vignarionda, Arionda, Rotonda – because of its round shape. But they all mean the same thing: the very essence of Serralunga.

Coming from one of the most historic vineyards in Neive, Albesani is a Barbaresco with a classic character and great precision. The south-western slope with calcareous and clayey soils gives the Nebbiolo here a powerful structure without masking its delicate flavour. Thanks to balanced temperatures and a long growing season, the 2021 vintage produced grapes with optimal phenolic ripeness.