2015 Massolino Barolo, Piedmont

First produced in 1911, the fruit for Massolino's classic cuvée is selected from seven sites (inc. Briccolina, Collaretto, Broglio and Le Turne), representing roughly seven hectares of prime-sited Serralunga vineyards. The oldest vines that feed this bottling are 55 years old (the youngest are 10), and it spends 24-30 months in large Slovenian oak casks. Oh, and there’s a soupçon of fruit from Massolino’s Parussi cru this year. During his recent trade visit, Giovanni Angeli noted that their 2015 Barolo was “One of the best classic Barolo that we have ever produced.” A huge call, though it’s hard not to agree. The wine opens with a lovely lifted nose—dominated by honey and tobacco notes—that’s both complex and beguiling. From the first sip it is clear that we are dealing with a very powerful, tightly wound example of this wine with a swath of powdery tannins balanced by sweet mulberry, dried fruit, red peach and mixed spice notes to the fruit. It has excellent structure yet also tremendous finesse. It’s a superb release (as the notes below testify) that will only get better and better. Right now it will certainly benefit from decanting—it’s bottled under DIAM 10 which means it will be more closed over the next six months or so compared with the single vineyard wines under cork. Give it some air, or some time in bottle, and it will sing.

“The 2015 Barolo is bright and beautifully focused, with lovely red berry, orange peel and floral character. Medium in body, translucent and gracious, Massolino’s straight Barolo is fabulous in 2015. This is a very pretty, classy wine that readers will be able to enjoy with minimal cellaring. Even so, the straight Barolo has a track record of aging gracefully.” 

“The 2015 Barolo is almost all fruit from Serralunga d'Alba (this township makes up 99% of the blend), with a tiny part from Castiglione Falletto. Fruit comes from five vineyard sites, including Briccolina, Collaretto, Broglio and Le Turne, all in Serralunga d'Alba. The complex nature of the blend represents old-school Barolo tradition, and it works beautifully in a warm vintage such as this. (That Serralunga d'Alba's rich marlstone soil keeps the moisture of the vintage locked within.) This is a full and exuberant expression with a well-defined profile of spice, rusty nail, potting soil and truffle. Overall, this vintage is accessible, soft and delicious from the start.”