Franco Massolino, Az. Agr. Massolino, Serralunga d’Alba, PIedmont
Photo ©Tom Hyland
The renowned Barolo producer from Serralunga d’Alba discusses what his work has been like in 2020.
The vineyards this year are great. We had a very early start to the vegetation. Probably we never had as early a start. The winter was very, very warm.
Also, it was pretty dry because we did not have a lot of snow, but in the end, we had enough rain to ensure a good quantity of water underground, so the plants are working very well.
In the last week, things changed a little bit because we have begun like today to have pretty cloudy weather, with some storms, but thank God, no hail. So at the present everything regarding the vineyards is very fine.
It seems to be a generous vintage. There is not that big a pressure for disease. We are working hard of course, because in this period, the vegetation is growing very fast. The grass is very strong, very green. We can say that is seems up until now, that this is another excellent vintage. At the present, it’s too early to speak, so we will see what will happen in the future.
Tom Hyland: What has the daily routine been like lately with the coronavirus situation?
FM: We worked more during this spring in the vineyards, because of the lockdown. You know many businesses were completely closed, so unluckily, we had no more orders (for wine). The domestic market was completely closed. Many markets around the world were also closed, so our distribution was close to zero.
So we asked people on our team who usually work in the cellar or work in the office to come and help us in the vineyards! So in some ways it was nice to work altogether, teaching also some of them how they have to work in a vineyard, because some of them had never done this work before.
This year, 2020, began extremely well. I’m talking about sales, about the possibility of vintages we released this year. So the 2016 Barolos. Vintage 2016 had really huge expectations, so the wine lovers are really looking forward to 2016.
We also have a 2014 Vigna Rionda Riserva that in my opinion is really unique. 2018 for our young wines, so all the vintages are really excellent. The beginning of the year was really positive, but then from March 8 or 9, if I remember, everything changed. So we had to manage this unexpected situation.
Now we are seeing a little light at the end of the tunnel. In the last ten days, some orders arrived; some from Italy and also from other markets. We feel that the people that want to restart as soon as possible want to forget this moment. We only hope that it will be possible to continue and to not reclose the markets in the near future. That is extremely important.
TH: At least, with Barolo, if you don’t sell it now, you can sell it in six months or a year, or longer, especially with these great vintages.
FM: Nebbiolo always helps support us, helps us support our business in an incredible way. Like you said, Nebbiolo, Barbaresco and Barolo are wines that you can sell during the years. There is no problem to age them and this is certainly very important, because if I think about some of our colleagues that produce let’s say, Arneis or Moscato, Brachetto, Dolcetto, wines that you have to sell fresh, they could have really big problems. So we have to consider ourselves very lucky.
Notes on two examples of Massolino single vineyard Barolo from the outstanding 2016 vintage that are just now entering the market:
Massolino Barolo Parussi 2016 – From the vineyard in Castiglione Falletto. Bright, young garnet; aromas of morel cherry, oregano and a hint of orange peel. Medium-full with excellent concentration. This is quite rich on the palate and is tightly packed with medium-full tannins, good acidity and subtle wood notes. This has the strucure and depth of fruit to age well, with peak dinking in 15-20 years. Another year in the bottle will soften the tannins a bit. Very impressive wine, with notable complexity. Outstanding
Massolino Barolo Margheria 2016 – From one of the estate vineyards of Massolino in Serralunga d’Alba. Delicate young garnet; aromas of morel cherry, orange peel, and hints of strawberry and red poppy. Medium-full, this has beautifully ripe fruit, notable concentration, elegant tannins of medium-weight, very good acidity and excelllent persistence. This is a Serralunga Barolo with inner weight, but an round, charming exterior. Beautiful harmony, impeccable varietal purity and lovely charm and finesse. All the elements are here and are peeking out a bit, and with another 3-5 years, all of the beauty of this wine will be evident, with peak drinking in 12-15 years, perhaps longer. Superb