Massolino Barolo Riserva 'Vigna Rionda' 2017
Regular price $561.00
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- TASTING NOTE: “The 2017 Barolo Riserva Vigna Rionda is flat out stunning. All the purest essence of Rionda comes through in a captivating Barolo that dazzles. Sweet red cherry fruit, kirsch, rose petal, licorice and blood orange are some of the many aromas and flavors that lift from the glass. Exotic and racy, the 2017 is a flat-out stunner. Now, for the million dollar question. Is it better than the 2016? Right now, I give an edge to the 2017 for its greater finesse and total sense of exotic beauty. But time will be the judge. I do look forward to tasting the 2016 and 2017 side by side!” 98 Points - Antonio Galloni, Vinous
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ABOUT THE WINE: Vigna Rionda is historically the most revered vineyard of Serralunga and the source of some of the greatest, finest and most long-lived Barolo. The Massolino family are the largest holders in this Cru with 3.5 hectares of Vigna Rionda vines, aged between 40 and 50 years old. On some of the oldest soils of Barolo, there is very little topsoil here, with a high concentration of limestone, oxidised iron and other mineral elements. The altitude is also 300 metres above sea level—so, high—with protection from northerly winds and frost provided by the south/southwest aspect. It’s a vineyard that generates wines with an optimum balance of perfume, finesse, concentration and structure, rarely found elsewhere in Barolo. Excellent acidity and tannins are a feature of the wines of Vigna Rionda, and so they require longer aging in both botti and bottle. That’s why Massolino’s Vigna Rionda is always released with a minimum six years of age.
Always aged in large cask, 2017 was the second vintage that Massolino’s Vigna Rionda was also fermented in large wood. It spent 20 days on skins and then 30 months aging in a 7,000-litre Stockinger botti. It’s simply a gorgeous, layered and complex Barolo of the highest order. The note below says it all. Despite the warm vintage, there is great acidity and ample, fine tannins. Already a brilliant drink, it will be even better in three to five years.
- ABOUT THE PRODUCER: Founded in 1896 by the enterprising Giovanni Massolino—he was the first to bring electricity to the town—the estate is based in and around the town of Serralunga d’Alba, one of the prime sub-zones of Barolo. Today, the keys of this historical estate belong to Franco and Roberto Massolino who work with gifted, ex-Vajra winemaker Giovanni Angeli. Behind Massolino’s rise to the apex of Barolo lies their remarkable collections of Serralunga vineyards, including choice parcels of such famous sites as; Margheria, Parafada and the legendary Vigna Rionda where the Massolino family is the largest holders with 3.5 hectares of vines (two are planted to Nebbiolo) between 40 and 50 years old. Outside of this commune, Massolino also tends vines in the great Parussi Cru of Castiglione Falletto. Massolino’s Barolos sit comfortably among the finest of the region—they are wines of wonderful purity and elegance. The quality strides at this estate over the last decade or so have been truly remarkable with significant advances made, particularly in the vineyards. The Massolino Estate has now been organic for six years with no herbicides used for ten. The evolution of the work in the vineyards over that time has been impressive and is showing through in the wines. The team has introduced more competition through grass cover, and no systemic chemicals are used: only copper and sulphur against mildew and only ‘sexual confusion’ to combat pests. Today the Nebbiolo-based wines of Massolino sit comfortably among the finest of the region—they are wines of wonderful purity and elegance. In one sense 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. Equally important, Massolino’s Barolos are remarkably well priced when compared to the other top producers of the area. Alongside Massolino’s Barolo, we must reserve a good deal of excitement for their early drinking releases that starts with the delicious Dolcetto and runs seamlessly through the Barbera, to basic Nebbiolo before arriving at the top tier wines.
- COUNTRY: Italy
- REGION: Piedmont
- SUB-REGION: Barolo
- VARIETAL: Nebbiolo
- WINE STYLE: Red Wine
- WINEMAKER: Giovanni Angeli
- CLASSIFICATION: Organic Farming
- CLOSURE: Cork
- ABV%: 14.5%
- SIZE: 750ml
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