2001 Massolino Barolo
(just bottled) Ruby-red. Raspberry, menthol, tar, mocha and a whiff of pepper on the nose, along with some nutty oak. Rich, broad, sweet and strong, with slightly medicinal flavors of dark berries, menthol and pepper. Fairly austere finish features horizontal, palate-coating tannins. (My sample of the just-bottled 2001 Margheria was too reduced to assess with confidence.) Very good Barolo normale
2000 Massolino Barolo
Good full red. Musky red berries, dried flowers and smoky oak on the rather open nose. Sweet, fruity and fresh, with notes of raspberry, menthol and flowers firmed by healthy acidity. A bit medicinal on the back, but the wine's sweet tannins reflect the heat of this growing season.
2000 Massolino Barolo Vigna Margheria
Red-ruby. Red berries, rose petal, mocha and smoky oak on the nose. Tightly wound and juicy; at once fresher and more backward than the normale, and more dominated today by its spine. A distinctly tough 2000, finishing with a medicinal austerity and a slight dryness.
2000 Massolino Barolo Parafada
Fresh ruby-red. Sexy oak spice aromas lift red berries, rose petal and tar; complicating low tones of woodsmoke and coffee. Sweet, lush and complex, but youthfully tight, with notes of marzipan and sweet oak. Quite dry today, finishing with substantial oak tannins and a hint of mushroom. Today it's the normale that best captures the warmth of this vintage.
1999 Massolino Barolo Vigna Rionda Riserva
Good deep red. Subdued but pure aromas of currant, menthol, tar, tobacco and underbrush. Dense and lush but backward, with the restrained sweetness of the vintage. This conveys an impression of soil character and extract, but really requires seven or eight years of additional cellaring. Shows a classic medicinal Serralunga finish, but the firm tannins are rather suave.
