Massolino Parussi Barolo 2017

This is the only Barolo vineyard that Massolino owns outside of Serralunga, ‘the egg outside of the nest’ as an old Piemonte saying goes. On the crest of the ridge, Parussi is next to the Serralunga border on the Castiglione Falletto side. The blue, iron-rich Sant'Agata marls here are a little lighter and more oxygenated, with more silt and less clay than in Serralunga. This makes for more vigour in the vines and a completely different style of wine. The Massolino family were attracted to the excellent south-easterly to south-westerly exposure of the vines, combined with the vine age (45 years) and the vineyard’s situation at 300 metres above sea level. To this day, Massolino is the only Barolo producer to bottle a single-vineyard wine from this Cru.

The commune of Castiglione lies closer to the geographical centre of Barolo and generally generates wines with robust tannins and deep fruit. The Massolino team have shown their greater knowledge of this vineyard following each vintage, evolving both the viticulture and the winemaking to produce wines of ever-greater finesse. This is quite different from the Serralunga wines, with more pungent depth and firmer tannins. It is an outstanding example of Castiglione Falletto—with the depth of the place and the class of Massolino. Again, this is one the best examples of this wine yet. It’s deep and intense, with the classic, firm tannins of the site. With air the wine blossoms, revealing more and more finesse and seduction. Super classy stuff.

“The 2017 Barolo Parussi is a classic Castiglione Falletto Barolo. Sweet floral notes and bright, red berry fruit open first as the 2017 shows off its considerable charms. Medium in body and silky (for the year), with exceptional balance, the 2017 Parussi is stellar. This is an unbelievably classy Barolo.” 95 points, Antonio Galloni, Vinous