AZIENDA AGRICOLA SORDO GIOVANNI Riserva Rocche Di Castiglione, Barolo DOCG

An extremely pleasing and drinkable wine, and although it has a high alcohol grade this never overpowers its fruity character. Its red colour has Bordeaux reflections and the slow trickle from the edge of the glass confirms its optimal concentration and good body. The palate is caressed by a smooth tannin content typical of the Nebbiolo grape and by a warm and enveloping flavour.

First produced in 1911. The fruit for Massolino's classic Nebbiolo cuvée is selected from seven sites, representing roughly seven hectares of prime-sited Serralunga vineyards. The oldest vines that feed this bottling are 55 years old (the youngest are 10), and it spends 24 months in large Slovenian oak (only).

PRODUTTORI DEL BARBARESCO Riserva Paje, Barbaresco DOCG

PRODUTTORI DEL BARBARESCO Riserva Montefico, Barbaresco DOCG

PRODUTTORI DEL BARBARESCO Riserva Montestefano, Barbaresco DOCG

The 2015 Parussi is bursting with lovely juicy, wild forest fruit and grenadine notes underpinned by an intense, mineral freshness and fresh walnut-like tannins. A beautiful Barolo that closes with a super long, mint-and-lavender-and-cherry-scented finish. The iron-rich, 'blue clay' soils here are a little lighter, more oxygenated, with more silt and less clay than Serralunga. This makes for more vigour in the vines and a completely different style of wine. The Massolino family were attracted by the excellent south-easterly and south-westerly exposure of the vines, the vineyard's situation at 300 metres above sea level on the crest of the hill, and the 45-year-old vines. Today, they are the only Barolo producer to bottle a single vineyard wine from this cru. A traditional Barolo, 15-20 days of fermentation and maceration at 31-33°C; aged in oak barrels for about 30 months and left to mature in bottles placed in special dark, cool cellars for about a year. Founded in 1896, Massolino Winery, is based in and around the town of Serralunga, one of the prime sub-zones of the Barolo DOC. The Massolino familys greatest asset is of course their 23 hectares of (mostly) Serralunga vineyards, including choice parcels of such famous sites as; Margheria, Parafada and the legendary Vigna Rionda. We say mostly as the Massolino clan recently purchased a slice of the Parussi cru in Castiglione Falletto. Serrralunga, on the eastern edge of the Barolo DOCG, produces some of most profound and long lived Barolo. It is the home of great names such as Giacomo Conterno and Bruno Giacosas Falletto vineyard. The wines often have an extra stuffing of intense Nebbiolo fruit as well as a remarkable minerality that plays on both the freshness of the tannins and gives the wines a certain ferrous edge when young. It is fair to say that Massolino holds the most remarkable collection of vineyards in Serralunga, amongst the smaller, quality focused producers anyway. The quality strides at this estate over the last 10-15 years have been remarkable with significant advances made, particularly in the vineyards. Certainly there has also been refinements in the cellars, firstly by Franco Massolino and then by current winemaker Giovanni Angeli (ex Vajra) who has been working with Franco since the 2005 harvest. As always however, it has been the work in the vineyards and the search for expressive and perfectly ripe fruit that has driven the rise in quality at this estate. The resultant improvement here has been very good news for both the commune and Barolo in general. Today the wines of Massolino sit comfortably among the finest of the region they are wines of wonderful purity and elegance. They are exclusively aged in large casks, so they are traditional and yet they offer the best of the old and new worlds: pure, aromatic, textural, deeply flavoured wines that are at the same time precise, vibrant and distinctly regional. These are wines that score extremely highly on our deliciousness scale. Equally important, these wines are remarkably well priced when compared to the other top producers of the area.