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| ~ In this view you can see the Massolino winery at center. Note the stainless tanks ~ |
In 1896, Great-Grandfather Giovanni Massolino founded the Vigna-Rionda Massolino estate. Today, three generations of Massolino's work the farm alongside each other, honoring the tradition that Giovanni started. Brothers Giovanni and Renato are in charge of the vineyards and cellars respectively, while Giovanni's grandson now oversees the winemaking.
While Massolino's Barolo are considered to be crafted using "traditional" techniques such as large botte, long macerations and Slavonian casks, grandson Franco has begun incorporating slight touches of modern innovation. Massolino's Barolo are excellent. They focus on the Crus Margheria and Rionda and the 2006 Rionda received a "Tre Bicchieri" award.
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| ~ Massolino's vineyards slope down from the winery ~ |
Today we're focusing on the estate Barbera d'Alba. I typically prefer Barbera from Alba over its sibling wine, Barbera from Asti because I tend to perceive the latter as being more acidic.
The 2013 Massolino Barbera d'Alba didn't change that perception, though I was surprised by the seemingly low amount of acidic structure in the wine. It's a gorgeous purple color with violet streaks; so fresh and pretty to look at. The aroma is replete with crushed raspberry, spice and a round sort of buttery note. The wine is vinified in 100% stainless steel and as many winemakers have told me in the past, aromas that "feign wood" in cases like this are typically imparted from the yeast used during the fermentation.
On the palate, the wine is medium bodied - perhaps a bit too much so - with a nice core of raspberry character that is accented by soft red plum notes. There's a touch of pepper on the finish but little tannic or acidic structure to speak of. This paired nicely with sauteed chicken with mushrooms and wild rice and is very accessible. Drink now and over the next two years. 87 points. Approximately $13.
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| ~ Pretty color to this accessible early maturing Barbera d'Alba ~ |
Salute!
Hi John!
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on the acidic sensations of Alba vs Asti... Still there are several good Barbera d'Asti too out there.. I feel that Barberas in general are pretty "under the radar" wines (at least here) even though they are (in general) of great quality and most of the time very enjoyable now... The majority of them are good-to-excellent values. Here are the best ones I can think of that I had in the last year or two, if it can be of any interest to you or your readers..:
Erbaluna La Bettola Barbera d'Alba 2010
Sant'Emiliano Barbera d'Asti 2011
Ca' Viola Brichet Barbera d'Alba 2009-2010
Gianni Gagliardo La Matta Barbera 2010
Silvio Grasso Barbera d'Alba 2011
The ones from Vietti are also pretty good, but more expensive..
As always, thanks for your very nice and insightful work :)
Raph
Raph,
ReplyDeleteThanks as always for reading and commenting and I appreciate the remarks. It's funny, the difference between the US and Canada is so extreme that the only one from above I've seen is Silvio Grasso and Vietti. Generally, I tend to prefer Dolcetto over Barbera - and it's cheaper here too - but we've got to have variety! Wait until you see my report on Gambero Rosso. Amazing wines there this year.
That's unfortunate as the first fourth ones are really delicious... I'm surprised you have never seen the one from Ca'Viola, beautiful wine and winery..
ReplyDeleteCool can't wait to read your report!!
I'll be on the lookout amico, thanks for the tip.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the Ca'Viola is a wonderful Barbera. Very hard to find in the US. I recently purchased the 2010 Ca'Viola Barbera Brichet and my wife and I thoroughly enjoyed a bottle a couple of weeks ago with dinner. Grapes of Norwalk (CT) has a limited supply available.
ReplyDeleteNice! Thanks Joe. And I just tasted the Boscarelli Nocio at Gambero Rosso. That review coming soon. What an outstanding bottle. So was the Asinone by Poliziano. Both wines really turned my head.
ReplyDelete