The first rung on the Barolo ladder

published 5 February 2016

2013 Nebbiolo Langhe, Serralunga d'Alba, Massolino, Piemonte, Italy (£23, S; TheFineWineCompany.co.uk; W; Philglas & Swiggot, 020-7924 4494; Aske, 020-8746 1585; Champion Wines, 020-3581 9935).

I am putting the finishing touches to my first "Piemonte Report". It has taken two years to research and write and my fascination with the people and the wines from this noble region grows greater every day. The mighty red wines of Barolo and Barbaresco are my main focus and this means that the nebbiolo grape is under my microscope like never before. To set the scene prior to your total immersion in this epic red grape, you must taste this wine. It is the first rung on the Barolo ladder a generic nebbiolo, from the Langhezone, which covers both Barolo and Barbaresco sub-regions.

It is made by an exemplaryestate, situated in the heart of arguably the greatest village of all, Serralunga d'Alba. Massolino's wines are sublime, from my featured entry-level beauty, brimming with wild cherry fruit, via the Barolo (about £40) to the single vineyard wines Margheria, Parafada, Parussi and Vigna Rionda (about £60), which all recline resplendent on the hillsides below the winery in the centre of town. Never forget the Massolino wines they are the true essence of both the region and its legendary grape.

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Matthew Jukes is a winner of the International Wine & Spirit Competition's Communicator of the Year (MatthewJukes.com).

Matthew Jukes has worked in the UK wine business for well over three decades and during this time has written 14 wine books.

Matthew regularly lectures, judges, speaks at wine conferences and runs masterclass tastings for both corporate and private clients all over the world. Matthew is also the creator of his ground-breaking initiative, the One Day Wine School, an indulgent day of tasting and learning first performed in 2006.

He has been the MoneyWeek wine correspondent since 2006 and has written a weekly column for the Daily Mail’s Weekend Magazine since 1999. His four highly-acclaimed, annual wine reports – the Burgundy En Primeur Report, the Bordeaux En Primeur Report, the Piemonte Report and the 100 Best Australian Wines – are published on his website, www.matthewjukes.com.

Matthew is one of the world’s leading experts on Australian wine and, with Brisbane-based wine writer Tyson Stelzer, runs an annual competition in Australia to find ‘The Great Australian Red’. He was made Honorary Australian of the Year in the UK at the 2012 Australia Day Foundation Gala dinner.

Matthew is a winner of the International Wine and Spirit Competition's Communicator of the Year Trophy. His thoughts, recommendations and tastings notes are followed very closely by the wine world at large.