The first rung on the Barolo ladder

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 been the MoneyWeek wine correspondent since 2006.

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

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.