The crown jewel of the estate. They are the largest landholder here with one third of the cru.
MASSOLINO: A SERRALUNGA STORY
A Seventh Place finish in the Wine Spectator Top Ten last year catapulted one of the wine community's beloved producers into stardom. This prized Serralunga d'Alba estate was founded in the 1930s and remains family-owned today. It holds some of the most valuable crus in Serralunga, which is known for the strongest wines in Barolo. The next generation has built on the previous generation, and with their recent move towards open-top fermenters the elegance and sophistication of these wines has never been better. In particular, you'll find a fanaticism amongst Barolo hounds for the Vigna Rionda, which has a reputation due to an especially infamous run of "Collina Rionda" bottlings that Bruno Giacosa did from 1967 to 1993. The 1989 Giacosa "Collina Rionda" is touted as one of the best Barolo ever made. Although from different parcels, as the largest landholder of Vigna Rionda, we would say that Massolino proudly carries on this tradition. Stylistically if these two weren't warm vintages (2015 and 2017) I'd tell you to hold your horses, but the wines are drinking much earlier these days, even from a steely, hard-edged terroir like this. The flavors are traditional but not stubbornly so, with dried red fruits, anise and licorice, caked, dusty baking spices and iron-y mineral and mushroom notes.
96 Points Wine Advocate: "Massolino's top-shelf wine is the 2015 Barolo Riserva Vigna Rionda. This expression comes roaring out of the bottle with beautiful intensity and richness that is played forward with abundant black cherry, tarry spice, clay and rusty mineral. The 10-hectare Vignarionda vineyard in Serralunga d'Alba is farmed by many, but Massolino is responsible for about a quarter of its production. This gives this estate better flexibility and opportunity when it comes to fruit selection for this limited release. The warm and sunny 2015 vintage wraps thickly over the palate, imparting a satiny texture and long finish."
