Serralunga d'Alba Barolo Nebbiolo

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of four days. Best of Day 4. The 2020 Classico pours a beautiful garnet color with a transparent core; medium+ viscosity with no staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of tart and ripe red fruits: strawberries, cherry lozenges, pink roses, tar, talcum powder and dry earth. On the palate, the wine is bone dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose though the fruit comes across more ripe than tart. The finish is long and saline. This is an elegant, sexy Barolo with sneaky power that’s only revealed with enormous exposure to air at this stage. Drink now with patience and through 2040.

From a half bottle. Delicious!🍷👍🏽

Reddish in color with light intensity.

Nice and elegant nose of red fruits with chocolate notes.

Medium plus in body with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate with cherries, red currants, earth, light wood, spices and coffee.

Medium plus on the finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.

This young, 4 year old Barolo, is already drinking nicely, even by itself.
Well balanced and elegant.

This 2020 vintage was great for Barolo, and is very approachable right now. Will continue to age nicely in the next 10 years and beyond.

I've had the 2015 vintage a few years ago, and this vintage is drinking better. Complex with a soft mouthfeel.

Good right out of the bottle and better with some airtime. A good sipping wine, and will pair nicely with food too.

A blend from three different Nebbiolo Vineyards in Serralunga d'Alba. Aged in large oak barrels for 2 years.

14% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

$60.

Decanted about two hours before service which, remarkably, ended up still not being enough time. Day 1 was more of an educational experience; a showcase of the 2000 vintage if you will. The fruit was stewed and tertiary and while the structure was there, it seemed out of balance and sort of a mess. Only half of the bottle was remaining and nearly just dumped. However, I decided to hold the remaining half bottle for the next day. Day 2 was different as the fruit actually brightened up and everything came into better balance. All I can say is, Nebbiolo is truly a fascinating grape. Notes are from Day 2. The 2000 Classico pours a garnet color with a slightly cloudy core moving to an orange rim. Medium+ viscosity with some sediment and no staining. On the nose, the wine is vinous with stewed red and black fruits, dried roses, tar, espresso, earth, cigar paper, leather, and brown caramel crumble. On the palate, the wine is dry with high tannin and medium acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long and savory. The time is now. Drink now with a lengthy decant.

Brought from my cellar to dinner at Mertz. Massolino’s “Serralunga d’Alba” is a blend of their rather remarkable vineyard holdings in some of the more revered sites in the Serralunga commune. It’s also a perfect example of the 2010 vintage which, to my palate, may turn out to be a vintage that will live 50+ years.

Poured into a decanter about 45min prior to dinner. The 2010 “Serralunga d’Alba” pours a bright garnet with a transparent core. On the nose, developing with bright pomegranate, cranberry, Morello cherry, roses, tar, dried herbs and dried earth. On the palate, the wine is bone dry with high tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long, grippy and shows surprising elegance despite the remarkable structure. And that’s the hallmark of the 2010 vintage: there’s enough structure to support the Library of Congress and yet, there is an undeniable charm thanks to the bright fruit and pretty aromatics. Drink now with patience and enjoy through 2050+ because seriously, this has some real substance.

Medium red with a hint of orange developing. Herbal nose. Cherry on the palate with nutty notes. Alcohol medium plus, acidity medium, tannins are of course still quite blunt. This will benefit with age, but I'm wondering if the tertiary flavors will add some complexity--as it stands now it's somewhat one-dimensional, but very good.

92+ points

The classico. It took about 6 hours of overnight slow ox to flesh out but when it did became very enjoyable. Rose petal, light red fruits, mint/spice. The learning curve on when to drink these is a constant exercise.

Thinking about rounding into a less tannic form..

Not as dense in colour as I was expecting. On swirling quite tawny on the rim. Aromas of dry red cherries, menthol and a touch of leather. Medium bodied for a Barolo. It does finish with dry dusty persistent tannins. An enjoyable Barolo in the mid to lighter style. Certainly not for long keeping. Went well with homemade pasta.

I know there are some opinions about the 2018 vintage in Piemonte being less than ideal. And while there may be some truth to that sentiment, great producers managed to make beautiful, classic wines. Massolino falls into that category. In 2018, they decided to forgo bottling their individual crus and instead, focused their best fruit from Margheria, Parafada, Parussi, and the great Vigna Rionda into their “classico”. The results were phenomenal. The wine is beautifully perfumed with ripe, dark and red fruits along with all the roses and tar you expect. It’s the structure, however, that’s most impressive at this point in its youth. The tannins are big, as is the acid, suggesting this will have a long life. I expect this will be winning well past 2038. That being said, it is already enjoyable now.