2017 Massolino Barolo Parussi Magnum 1.5L, Piedmont

The Massolino clan purchased a 1.3-hectare plot of this cru in 2007; it is the only Barolo vineyard that they own outside of Serralunga. Though Parussi is in fact situated close to the Serralunga border, but in Castiglione Falletto. The iron-rich, ‘blue clay’ soils here are a little lighter, more oxygenated, with more silt and less clay than Serralunga. This makes for more vigour in the vines and a completely different style of wine. The Massolino family were attracted by the excellent south-easterly and south-westerly exposure of the vines, the vineyard’s situation at 300 metres above sea level on the crest of the hill, and the 45-year-old vines. Today, they are the only Barolo producer to bottle a single vineyard wine from this cru. So an important wine of place. The commune of Castiglione lies closer to the geographical centre of Barolo and generally generates a more masculine wine with tannins that can be more prominent when young. Again, this might be the best example of Parussi so far. The Massolino team are getting a deeper understanding of this vineyard with each vintage and have evolved the viticulture and the winemaking. Most significantly they are now performing a more gentle extraction and the result is a wine of far greater finesse than we have seen in previous releases. Parussi’s silty soils show through in an inkier and more robust profile than the Serralunga wines.