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2018 Massolino Barolo

96 WE

Featured Review
In 2018 the estate didn't make its cru-specific bottlings so the best grapes are in this straight Barolo. And it shows. It opens with heady scents of eucalyptus, pine forest, hay, new leather and lilac. Extremely elegant, the savory, vibrant palate exhibits red cherry, juniper berry and star anise set against taut, refined tannins and bright acidity. Drink 2024–2033. Wine Enthusiast

Wine Enthusiast | 96 WE

Critic Reviews

In 2018 the estate didn’t make its cru-specific bottlings so the best grapes are in this straight Barolo. And it shows. It opens with heady scents of eucalyptus, pine forest, hay, new leather and lilac. Extremely elegant, the savory, vibrant palate exhibits red cherry, juniper berry and star anise set against taut, refined tannins and bright acidity. Drink 2024–2033.

Wine Enthusiast | 96 WE
Pure, yet savory, with a stony, mineral punch to the orange peel, strawberries and dried herbs. I love the clarity and the tautness on the palate, with elegant but gutsy flavors of minerals and fruit, together with firm tannins that show Barolo etherealness and power at the same time. Already approachable. Drink now or hold.

James Suckling | 94 JS
While at the village level in 2018 we seem to find more dilute wines, Massolino should be considered an exception because they produced just a village Barolo, a blend of all their MGAs, including Vigna Rionda. The wine shines for its bright ruby colour, meaty and tarry with a incredible depth of rhubarb and minerality. Open-knit with its wild strawberry and cherry fruits, it flows on the velvety palate, lean yet refined, with polished tannins and brilliant integrated acidity. The finish is all cherry kernel and liquorice root. With this 2018 the estate confirms its consistency. Drinking Window: 2022 - 2038

Decanter | 94 DEC
The Massolino family found that the 2018 growing season gave nebbiolo with high pH, prompting the difficult decision to forgo production of all of their single-MGA Barolos. They blended fruit from their most prestigious plots in Margheria, Parafada, Parussi and Vigna Rionda to make this wine, and it’s one worth seeking out for its depth, balance and freshness. The red cherry and berry flavors feel crunchy and taut, woven with hints of licorice and that rusty note typical of Serralunga.

Wine and Spirits Mag | 94 W&S
The Massolino 2018 Barolo offers a classic interpretation of Serralunga d’Alba with big structure, ample but contained power and lots of black fruit and licorice. This 85,000-bottle production ages in large oak casks for 24 months, and this process further integrates the wine’s pretty texture.

Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RP
This red packs loads of floral, strawberry, cherry and white pepper aromas and flavors. Slim and fruity for the most part yet with a solid underlying structure. Austere for now on the finish, but well balanced overall. Best from 2025 through 2043. 7,080 cases made.

Wine Spectator | 93 WS
The 2018 Barolo is the only Barolo Massolino bottled in this vintage. Aromatically expressive and gracious, the 2018 offers lovely translucence in the mid-weight style of the year. Sweet dried cherry, mint, tobacco, spice, licorice and rose petal all open effortlessly in the glass. Naturally, the 2018 doesn’t have the depth of the single vineyards or the best vintages, but it is an absolutely lovely wine to savor over the next 10-15 years.

Antonio Galloni | 92 AG

Wine Details for 2018 Massolino Barolo

Type of Wine Barolo : Barolo have cemented their spot as one of Italy's most famous and desirable achievements, decorating the cellars of every serious wine collector. While the grape they're made from is rather dark and dusty-looking, the elixir that comes from this varietal is an almost crystal clear, light red, like a pair of seductive lips glistening in the candlelight.
Varietal Nebbiolo : Nebbiolo is the superstar grape variety and driving force behind the top-quality red wines of northwestern Italy. The Italian winegrowing appellation of Piedmont is covered by a sea of Nebbiolo grape vines. It is the undisputed king of grapes in the twin hillside villages of Barolo and Barbaresco, where some of the world’s most coveted wines hail from.

Quality over quantity is the motto for this subtly powerful grape. A mere 5,500 hectares of Nebbiolo are cultivated around the world, of which, more than 4,000 are found in Langhe and Roero. The varietal has been growing here since the 1st century and has been called Nebbiolo since the 1200’s. Like most ancient grape varietals, there are many speculations as to its true origin, but what is certain is that in the hills of Langhe and Roero, Nebbiolo has found its ideal environment.

Unlike Cabernet Sauvignon which is a versatile grape, Nebbiolo has not thrived when planted in wine regions outside of northern Italy. Nebbiolo is more like the finicky Pinot Noir: difficult to grow and highly reflective of terroir. The varietal thrives on calcareous marl, a lime-rich mudstone that is found on the right back of the Tanaro River (home to Barolo and Barbaresco) where it grows best in its warm climate and ample sunlight. The growing conditions in the hilly areas of Barolo and Barbaresco are optimal and produce some of the most sought after wines not only in Italy, but in the world.

The Nebbiolo vine buds earlier than most grapes grown in Piedmont but harvested last. The berries do not appear until long after flowering, making it very susceptible to poor weather conditions. The name Nebbiolo is thought to have come from the Italian word for fog, nebbia, which is common during the fall when the local hillsides are covered in a ghostly haze.

The iron fist in a velvet glove, which is a witty slogan for the wine of Barolo, can aptly be used to define the Nebbiolo grape itself. The thin-skinned, light colored grape packs a punch, producing wines that are light ruby when young and fades to a pale garnet when older. This characteristic should not be mistaken as watery; wine produced from Nebbiolo is super concentrated and flavorful with high acidity and tannins. When properly vinified, the best vintages will last for decades.

Despite the challenges of this fussy grape, some growers in the “New World” are trying their hand at harvesting Nebbiolo. In South Australia young producers are making wines that are fruiter and less tannic than their Italian counterparts. This novel take on the Italian grape has prompted California, Chile and South Africa to begin small plantings of Nebbiolo.

The iron fist in a velvet glove, the undisputed king of Piedmont and the deceptively powerful Nebbiolo grape may be limited in quantity, much-coveted, nearly exclusive to Italy, demands aging and can sometimes command high prices; the wait, the price and the difficulty in finding it is rewarded with one of the greatest wines made from the mighty Nebbiolo grape varietal.
Country Italy : Italy is renowned as one of the world’s greatest gastronomic havens; from certified Prosciutto di Parma to the sea-side seafood eateries on the island of Sicily. However, this epicurean experience could not possibly be as hedonistic without the ethereal combination of the country’s plethora of fine wines. It seems unfair that a nation should be able to boast, both, some of the world’s greatest cuisine as well as its greatest wines. Italian wine is one of the most sought after in the world, and has become the second most produced in the world, behind only France.



Stretching an impressive 736 miles from northern Italy to the peninsula’s southern tip, the country’s geography generates an enormous array of topography, climate and soil structure. This is an extremely important quality of its winegrowing and making industry which lays claim to nearly 550 different grape varietals, which all desire their own necessities, in terms of terroir and climate.



The still red wines of Italy truly characterize the nation’s vast and expansive terroir; Nebbiolo dominates Piedmont, where Barolo and Barbaresco reign king and queen of the region’s production. Hailing from Brunello di Montalcino in Tuscany, the rockstar Sangiovese grape has become synonymous with greatness. Vin Santo sweet wines have taken on a mighty feat of competing with the glorious wines of Sauternes, and of course, Prosecco. Prosecco, located in Trieste (northeast Italy) and its creation of luxuriously effervescent styles of wine has become Italy’s answer to Champagne. The Glera grape variety, which has become synonymous with the name Prosecco, is the main ingredient and is beloved in the appellation where the village of Prosecco’s name has become world renowned.



The blurred boundary between Italy and the countries of Slovenia and Austria, where German influence still resonates through Friuli wines. The prevalence of Riesling and other such grape varietals is high in this region and have become extremely popular on today’s market.



With nearly 702,000 hectares of grapevines covering the massive and diverse landscape, Italy’s annual average of 48.3 million hectoliters of wine production is second only to France in terms of volume and Spain in terms of hectares of vines. The country is vast and overwhelming when it comes to the culinary arts, but perhaps even this is overshadowed by its production of some of the world’s most sought after wines, whether the omnipresent Chianti to the highly collectible and sought after Amarone della Valpolicalla.


Subregion Barolo

Overview

Producer Massolino

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