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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Drinking window: Drink between 2019 and 2030 (based on 9 user opinions) |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 93.2 pts. and median of 94 pts. in 15 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by Andyrodriguez87 on 3/19/2023 & rated 95 points: Man this thing was BIG on opening! Much more deeply fruited than I anticipated with lots of structure and depth. Not much (if any) Barolo typicity until the last 2 glasses after 5-6+ hours in the decanter where this finally lightened up, became more ethereal and brought roses and tar and orange peel and truffles to the party. A massive wine with A LOT of potential that tastes like it was bottled yesterday. Leaving my remaining bottles alone for a very long time and then decanting all day! Quite the stuffing - this was a a really great, and big wine! (958 views) | | | Tasted by jrh82 on 7/30/2022 & rated 93 points: Woah, what a great classic Barolo. Rose petals, tare, you name it, and tannins were silky smooth and had melted into the wine perfectly. This is what Barolo is all about. (1364 views) | | | Tasted by ID on 3/4/2022: Opened at a restaurant, decanted, and let it breathe in the decanter for about an hour. I am guessing that it needs more time in the bottle. Medium-bodied and acidic with actively present tannins. There is a decent nose. With that bouquet, I can't really say it's "shut down." But at the moment it is kind of flat. The substantial acid and tannin make me think it needs more time. (1536 views) | | | Tasted by AWBryce on 1/1/2019: bright red fruits on the nose, touch of earthiness, sour dark cherries on the palate, pretty tannic, long cherry finish. needs time for the tannin to soften. (3985 views) | | | Tasted by Sixchips600 on 5/26/2018 & rated 95 points: This was really lovely tonight. Followed over six hours. After 3 it was pure sweet serralunga fruit. Nose had dark cherry but also high toned minerality. Tannins were in a good spot and the palate was not overpowering. Long finish. No rush, and this will show a lot more with time, but was delicious after long decant. (4892 views) | | | Tasted by theriffraph on 4/27/2018 & rated 95 points: Experimented at the 10 year mark. After six hours decant, I will say it tasted like a super young barolo at 4 yrs old....except that it was 10. Lots of red fruit coming through but you know the best is yet to come....similar to other commenters....probably at least 5 years before I pop the next. Great potential (4213 views) | | | Tasted by acyso on 3/7/2018 & rated 90 points: 2008 Piedmont at Osteria Langhe (Chicago, IL): Of the "modernist" Barolos tonight, this was my favourite. There's a beautiful mix of red and black fruit on the nose and palate, and even though there's a ripe and somewhat extracted character to this, it's rounded out by a silky texture and a glossy lightness. The tannins here are fine and silky, but this is certainly far from being fully ready to drink. (5353 views) | | | Tasted by KeithAkers on 3/7/2018 & rated 93 points: 2008 Barolo&Barbaresco Check-in (Osteria Langhe, Chicago IL): Nose: The nose is reticent at first, but it blooms as it opens up and fills the glass with rose petals, red cherries, raspberries, strawberries, tar, licorice, and incense tones. There is a perfumed and hi-toned quality to it along with excellent depth.
Taste: Medium/full bodied with high acidity and high tannins. The tannins are silky, but with noticeable youth to them. The feel has a regal-ness to it with rose petals, red cherries, raspberries, strawberries, and tar tones.
Overall: This is an outstanding young Barolo. It is barely scratching the surface of what it can bring and could certainly use another 5-8 years at the least. (4545 views) | | | Tasted by galenico on 12/3/2017 & rated 94 points: GRANDI NEBBIOLI DA VINOGODI: Naso ampio, esplosivo di frutta rossa, poi la parte mentolata e l' anice. L' eleganza dell' annata è prorompente e mette di buon umore!
Bocca golosa, ancora fruttata e croccante. Perfetto bilanciamento tra tannino sferico e acidità dinamica e propositiva.
La dolcezza viene dagli estratti e non dal legno. Pronto da bere a secchi, ruffianissimo e sexy. Na bomba! (3885 views) | | | Tasted by NostraBacchus on 3/26/2016 & rated 95 points: I was a little hesitant about ordering this bottle in a restaurant because I have had other Massolino Vigna Riondas (2001 and 2006) years ago when they were in a completely shut-down and closed stage... no fun at all. But this is a totally different story (as often in the 2008 vintage).
Perfumed and expressive aromatics of dark cherries, cigar tobacco, tar, violets, also some sweet spices (licorice), and some menthol and herbs with more air. It's full-bodied, dense, dark and powerful, but with good sense of harmony with still pretty high tannin and medium-high acidity. Good length. An excellent example of this top Cru in Serralunga that was surprisingly accessible. (4056 views) | | | Tasted by theriffraph on 8/8/2015 & rated 92 points: Painfully young at this point but with about 4 hours airing you can start to see the potential in this wine. But do not crack for at least 4 years. It was a cooler vintage so it probably won't show it's true character until then. (3686 views) | | | Tasted by Eric Guido on 2/7/2015 & rated 94 points: At first understated on the nose, this opened with a few minutes in the glass to display a gorgeous mix of tart black cherry, dark soil, minerals and floral undergrowth. On the palate, this showed silky, acid driven textures, which gave life to its brilliant red fruit personality, contrasted by a core of minerality and inner floral tones which created a push and pull that lasted through the finish as structural elements clung to the senses. Will it age? Yes, this is a balanced wine with center-focused fruit. Yet, there is no harm is trying a bottle today. (4206 views) | | | Tasted by rjonwine@gmail.com on 11/7/2014 & rated 94 points: Medium red violet color with light red meniscus; very aromatic, dried cherry, licorice, sweet tobacco, milk chocolate nose; silky textured, complex, tasty, dried cherry, licorice, sweet tobacco, milk chocolate palate with some acidity; needs 6-plus years; long finish (14% alcohol) (720 views) |
| By Gary Walsh
The WINEFRONT (8/14/2018)
(Massolino Barolo Vigna Rionda Riserva) Subscribe to see review text. | By Michael Garner
Decanter, Barolo vintages worth seeking out (2/3/2017)
(Massolino, Vigna Rionda, Barolo, Serralunga d’Alba, Piedmont, Italy, Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Stephen Brook
Decanter, Stephen Brook�s top Barolos from Serralunga (7/11/2015)
(Massolino, Vigna Rionda, Barolo, Serralunga d’Alba, Piedmont, Italy, Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, 2010 Barolo: Flying High Again (Jan 2014)
(Massolino Barolo Riserva Vigna Rionda) Subscribe to see review text. | By Stephen Tanzer
Vinous, November/December 2013, IWC Issue #171
(Massolino Barolo Vigna Rionda Riserva) Subscribe to see review text. | By Walter Speller
JancisRobinson.com (7/10/2013)
(Massolino, Vigna Rionda Riserva Barolo Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Stephen Brook
Decanter
(Massolino, Vigna Rionda, Barolo, Serralunga d’Alba, Piedmont, Italy, Red) Subscribe to see review text. |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of The WINEFRONT and Decanter and Vinous and JancisRobinson.com. (manage subscription channels) |
| Massolino Producer website
U.S. Importer (Addt'l Info)
Source: VinConnect (VinConnect.com)
Established in 1896, by Giovanni Massolino, the winery has been dedicated to the production of great wines from the Langhe area of Piedmont for four generations. It was Giovanni’s son Giuseppe, one of the founders of the Consortium for the Defense of Barolo and Barbaresco, to construct the cellar located in Serralunga d’Alba, one of the most important villages in the production of Barolo DOCG. Giuseppe’s sons, Giovanni and Renato, divided the responsibility for the vineyards and cellar management, also acquiring some of the most prestigious cru vineyard sites in Serralunga d’Alba. Giovanni’s sons Franco and Roberto, both winemakers, joined the family business in the nineties and oversee the production.
The Massolino winery produces about 120,000 bottles each year, including Chardonnay, Barbera d’Alba, Nebbiolo d’Alba, Moscato d’Asti, and Barolo. The winemaking style is classically ‘traditional,’ as evidenced by the use of cement fermentation tanks and large Slavonian oak casks for ageing, however more modern techniques and technologies are also employed resulting in incredibly clean, elegant wines, perfectly respecting the characteristics of the autochthonous grape varieties and the territory. Over the years, the name Massolino has become synonymous with robust, concentrated and well-structured Barolo, celebrated around the world.
Massolino produces one classic Barolo and, with the addition of the most recently acquired vineyard in Castiglione Falletto, four Cru Barolo wines: Parussi, Parafada, Margheria, and Vigna Rionda.
“As a family tradition we search for the highest quality with full respect for the environment and implement everything necessary to produce wines which express the characteristics of our wonderful land.”
– Franco MassolinoNebbioloNebbiolo is a red grape indigenous to the Piedmont region of Italy in the Northwest. The grape can also be found in other parts of the world, though they are not as respected.
Nebbiolo is often considered the "king of red wines," as it is the grape of the famed wines of Barolo DOCG, Barbaresco DOCG, and Roero DOCG. It is known for high tannins and acidity, but with a distinct finesse. When grown on clay, Nebbiolo can be very powerful, tannic, and require long aging periods to reach its full potential. When grown on sand, the grape exhibits a more approachable body with more elegant fruit and less tannins, but still has high aging potential.
"Nebbiolo" is named for the Italian word, "nebbia", which means "fog", in Italian and rightfully so since there is generally a lot of fog in the foothills of Piedmont during harvest.
Nebbiolo is a late-ripening variety that does best in a continental climate that boasts moderate summers and long autumns. In Piedmont, Nebbiolo is normally harvested in October.
More links:
Varietal character (Appellation America) | Nebbiolo on CellarTrackerVigna RiondaThe Vigna Rionda vineyard is considered one of the top vineyards (if not the top vineyard) of Serralunga d'Alba. Vigna Rionda means "round vineyard". Bruno Giacosa named his wine from this vineyard Collina Rionda, meaning "round hill", possibly a more fitting description. Vigna Rionda covers 25 hectares and lies at an altitude of 300 - 330 meters above sea level. The soil is calcarious and less clayey than many neighbouring vineyards, contributing to the structure and longevity of Vigna Rionda wines. Only the best part (south facing) of this round hill is planted with nebbiolo, the rest primarily with barbera.
Producers of Vigna Rionda Barolos are few. They include Massolino Vigna Rionda (2,3 hectares, one part planted in the early 1960s, the other part planted in the early 1970s), Oddero (1 hectare), Luigi Pira, Guido Porro, Anselma Giacomo and Bruno Giacosa (only from 1967 to 1993).
Exact outline on weinlagen.infoItaly Italian Wines (ItalianMade.com, The Italian Trade Commission) | Italian Wine Guide on the WineDoctorPiedmont Vignaioli Piemontesi (Italian only)
On weinlagen-infoLanghe Consorzio di Tutela Barolo Barbaresco Alba Langhe e Roero | Union of Producers of Albese Wines (Albeisa)BaroloRegional History:
The wines of Piedmont are noted as far back as Pliny's Natural History. Due to geographic and political isolation, Piedmont was without a natural port for most of its history, which made exportation treacherous and expensive. This left the Piedmontese with little incentive to expand production. Sixteenth-century records show a mere 14% of the Bassa Langa under vine -- most of that low-lying and farmed polyculturally. In the nineteenth century the Marchesa Falletti, a frenchwoman by birth, brought eonologist Louis Oudart from Champagne to create the first dry wines in Piemonte. Along with work in experimental vineyards at Castello Grinzane conducted by Camilo Cavour -- later Conte di Cavour, leader of the Risorgimento and first Prime Minister of Italy -- this was the birth of modern wine in the Piedmont. At the heart of the region and her reputation are Alba and the Langhe Hills. This series of weathered outcroppings south of the Tanaro River is of maritime origin and composed mainly of limestone, sand and clay, known as terra bianca. In these soils -located mainly around the towns of Barolo and Barbaresco -- the ancient allobrogica, now Nebbiolo, achieves its renowned fineness and power.
map of Barolo DOCG
An interesting thread on Traditional vs. Modern Barolo producers:
https://www.wineberserkers.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=106291 |
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