Vintage 2016 was a watershed moment in Piedmont. Universally acclaimed as a great vintage, many producers crafted their best ever wines. Standards across the region’s varietals and styles were all successful and it seemed that no one had failed to make at the very least, very good wines. Power and concentration are the hallmarks of all great vintages, but few exhibit the charm of more difficult vintages. 2016 Massolino’s were, are magnificent. Sleek, mineral and richly fruited, compact, tense and long, they are very grand and typical of the vintage. But if I were asked what my favourite vintage of Massolino is, I would have to say 2018.
2018 is not regarded as a great vintage, indeed it was very challenging. A wet spring and early summer resulted in good acidities and plump fruit light in tannin. Tannin management was the key, and the best producers embraced the vagaries of the vintage with shorter, lighter extractions. These are not toothsome, puckering Nebbiolo’s. Rather beautiful, fragrant and charming wines of insistent texture and classic fruit profiles.
More recent vintages from Massolino have seen a subtle drift away from the sleek, chiseled broadsides of flavour and texture. Charm and delicacy have entered the fray. The acids are softer, the fruit as pure and translucent as ever and the tannins, once silky; finer and lacier. This goes for all the red varieties. The influence of the charm of 2018 is everywhere in the more contemporary vintages. This is that rare estate that after having reached the pinnacle of acclaim have had the guts to take a subtle shift in direction, and a welcome one.
From a cool and late harvest, the 2021 has that little extra bit of tang and tingle than recent vintages. Intense blueberry, blackberry, blackcurrant and violet aromatics lead to a plush, yet tangy palate. There’s weight in the middle palate, rare for Dolcetto and the overall impression is one of softness. The acidity, persistent and framing, but never ventures into the territory of sleekness. Composed, poised and thoroughly complete.
Terrific lifted aromatics, a feature of the cool late vintage that was. Gourmand in style, plush, dripping fleshy fruit of plum, macerated cherry, raspberry, sarsaparilla, violets and cocoa. Fleshy, yet cut with that lovely acidity that in the past would have been more pronounced. As it is, I find this gentler version delightful, more characterful and charming than vintages past. Indeed, is it safe to say that the obsession with wines of elevated levels of acidity is coming to an end? We’ll have to wait and see, but this shift at Massolino is beautiful.
Massolino Langhe Nebbiolo 2020
Always one of the very best Langhe Nebbiolo’s, never forced, never trying to be Barolo. Massolino’s Nebbiolo is one of the most singular wines of the estate, and after tasting the stylistic shift through the wines, the Nebbiolo is the only one that has largely stayed the same. Tight, tense and compact in style, a compote of red fruits, cut flowers, campfire and delicate spice. Concentrated and lifted all at once, the tannins tightly coiled and very fine. Absolute bargain.
Forget the talk of a difficult vintage; you didn’t have to grow the grapes, so savour every delicious sip. Flavoursome and classic. Floral, earthy, with red fruits, licorice, orange and orange peel. Ample round palate, soft and gentle, not the ferocious grip we’ve come to expect. Ferrous, fresh thyme, fennel, rhubarb, raspberry and sweet cherry. Pure mouthfeel, expansive, poised and composed. Fine and lacy tannins suggestive rather than gripping. Absolutely charming. Beautiful, my favourite Massolino Barolo in a long line of grand wines. The epitome of gentle masculinity.
