Massolino - Barolo Riserva Vigna Rionda 2017

The vineyard situated in “Vigna Rionda” (sheet no. 8, land parcels 79-80-81-82-84-85-86) is in one of the best positions in Serralunga: when Giovanni and Renato Massolino decided to buy it, they chose to exchange it for a larger vineyard.

Set at an altitude of 330 m above sea level, it occupies a total surface area of 2.3 hectares. This vineyard too is made up of marly lime soil, which produces an important, potent wine, suitable for long aging.

Color is bright garnet red. Nose ranges from very intensely floral in the early years to characteristic “goudron” as it ages, through a multitude of scents which are always particularly seductive. On the palate probably is the most potent of all the Barolo's and it perfectly summarizes the essential characteristics of Barolo wine, such as grand structure, excellent alcohol concentration and tannins capable of guaranteeing very long aging.

It opens up gradually and reaches its maximum and most important expression after aging for a few years; this leads to its release for sale in the sixth year after harvesting with an increasingly consistent part of the wine being held back for release in the tenth year!!!

It expresses its best potential when served with meat dishes, rich in intense and persistent aromas and flavors, such as joints of lamb or kid. Also, thanks to its marked tannins, it is simply superb with the bitter-sweet alternation of furry and feathered game.

A complex wine, constantly in evolution, capable of guaranteeing unique sensations for refined and demanding palates. It is best to decant for a few hours.

"The 2017 Barolo Riserva Vigna Rionda is flat out stunning. All the purest essence of Rionda comes through in a captivating Barolo that dazzles. Sweet red cherry fruit, kirsch, rose petal, licorice and blood orange are some of the many aromas and flavors that lift from the glass. Exotic and racy, the 2017 is a flat-out stunner. Now, for the million dollar question. Is it better than the 2016? Right now, I give an edge to the 2017 for its greater finesse and total sense of exotic beauty. But time will be the judge. I do look forward to tasting the 2016 and 2017 side by side!" - 98 points, Antonio Galloni Vinous

"This is a gorgeous wine, and although it could stand more years of aging, you're not wrong to enjoy it in the near or medium term either. The 2017 Barolo Riserva Vigna Rionda is packed tight with dark fruit, but it also shows a delicately savory edge with black licorice and rusty metal. The wine's intensity and the mouthfeel are sublime. Aging sees it go into botte for 36 months followed by another 36 months in bottle before its release." - 97 points, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

Producer: Massolino

Country: Italy

Region: Piedmont

Varietal: Nebbiolo

Appellation: Barolo Riserva

Vintage: 2017

Size: 750ml