$299.99
| /
Region: Barolo, Italy
Grape: Nebbiolo
First glance: Traditional, structured and complex single-vineyard Barolo
Acclaim: 93 points
Massolino was founded in 1896, and it is one of the premier estates in the Serralunga sub-region of Barolo.
Apart from making highly acclaimed wines, Massolino is significant for being the first producer to bottle a single-vineyard Barolo back in 1982 - something which is now very much in vogue, with the more recent official introduction of the MGA vineyard classification. The new rules offer producers the option of labelling their wines with a specific vineyard or commune, as opposed to relying solely on house style and age designations to stand out from the crowd.
The Margheria MGA in the home-field Serralunga de Alba commune, sits at 340 metres above sea level. The vineyard is very chalky with a good percentage of sand, which brings elegance and spicy, mineral characters to the natural depth of Serralunga. Like all the singe-vineyard bottlings here, the wine ferments naturally in large format neutral oak, and spends a total of 30 days on skins, before ageing 30 months in botti prior to bottling.
The Review:
93 points, Antonio Galloni, Vinous
Massolino's 2015 Barolo Margheria is a powerful, driven wine that shows the sinewy muscles of Serralunga off to great effect. Dark red cherry, plum, iron, sage, smoke, white pepper and rose petal open up in the glass, but the Margheria is a wine of structure, power and depth, its mid-weight feel notwithstanding. As is often the case, the Margheria is a beguiling wine that shows the flavor and textural complexity Nebbiolo can reach in Piedmont's top sites. Drink Date: 2023-2040.
