2017 Massolino Barolo Parafada DOCG Magnum 1.5L, Piedmont

The Parafada vineyard is in Serralunga. It is situated at 320 meters above sea level with a direct southern exposure and it is protected by winds and bad weather by a ridge. The vines are 60-years-old and the soils are marl and limestone. This 2017, in spite of the heat of the vintage in the summer has vibrancy, freshness, and charm. The Massolino Barolo Parafada 2017 has a very bright ruby color and an open, intensely perfumed nose with notes of exotic spice, cherries, roses, and lovely floral aromas. It is juicy, vibrant and stylish with the superfine tannins feeling gentler than those in the Margheria. Wait two to three years and keep up to 25.

95 points Susan Hulme thewineindependent.com

In 1957, Parafada became the Massolino family’s first prime parcel of Serralunga and it is still home to their oldest vines (now almost 60 years old). Massolino own a 1.13 hectare parcel that rises steeply from 300 to 340 metres above sea level and faces due south, catching the full face of the sun. These factors, plus the denser, marly, lime-infused, more compact clay soils, typically result in the richest, most powerful wine of the three Serralunga crus. This is a vineyard that offers finer and finer wines with each vintage, better balanced and more delicious wines than ever before. There’s always a deeper, denser register here than the Margheria—terroir aside, Massolino’s old vines produce smaller berries with more concentrated fruit as a result.