Massolino

In 1896, Giovanni Massolino founded his family winery in Serralunga d'Alba after helping introduce electricity to the village. His son, Giuseppe, constructed the family's first wine cellar and, in 1934, co-founded the Consortium for the Defence of Barolo and Barbaresco. Later, Giuseppe's children—Giovanni, Camilla, and Renato—further expanded the estate and began acquiring revered plots in noted vineyards. Most importantly, between 1956 and 1990, the family inherited, traded and acquired significant parcels in Vigna Rionda, arguably one of Barolo’s most revered vineyards made famous by Bruno Giacosa, whose 1989 Barolo Collina Rionda is one of Italy’s greatest ever wines.

In the 1990s, fourth-generation brothers Franco and Roberto Massolino (both trained oenologists) joined the family business. Their joining marked a significant period of modernisation and growth, including the acquisition of the Parussi vineyard in Castiglione Falletto and the construction of a new cellar in Serralunga, including a large hall of temperature-controlled, open-top tini and stainless steel vats. Finally, in 2019, Massolino expanded into the Barbaresco region by leasing nearly 10 acres of vineyards in Neive.

There has been a significant improvement in the wines since around 2018. The finished wines retain their classic and restrained structure but have gotten a great deal more vibrant with more resolved tannins and a supporting structure of moreish acids. These are wonderful examples of contemporary Barolo at its best.