2019 Massolino Langhe Nebbiolo

From a classical vintage that spotlighted perfume, purity and freshness, this is a strikingly pretty wine: wonderfully vibrant and perfumed with great acidity and energy and aromas and flavours that suggest rose, cranberry, blackberry and all kinds of spice. Super drinking already.

Screwcap. This wine just gets better and better. Early vintages of the Nebbiolo were sourced exclusively from Massolino’s younger vines in Serralunga—a declassified Barolo if you like. Today there are two more parcels in play: Monforte’s Cascina I Maschi vineyard lies at altitude right on the border of the Barolo area where the soils are rich in chalk (Massolino credits this cool site with the resultant vibrant perfume and ripe acidity); then there’s a parcel in Alba on lighter, sandy clay soils, which brings power and fruit concentration. The blend is roughly one-third from each terroir, and there’s little doubt the sum of these three sites has bought even more brightness and early drinking appeal to what was already an outstanding Langhe Nebbiolo. Like all Massolino Nebbiolo, it was aged in large Slavonian oak casks (although the Langhe only spends 15 months in wood, as compared to 24-plus months for the Barolo wines).