On the western hills above Neive, Albesani is one of the shining stars of Barbaresco. In his Barbaresco MGA, Masnaghetti writes that here, “the combination of soil, stature and exposure creates one of the greatest vineyards of the Langhe”. So, perhaps it won’t be a surprise that of the three Barbaresco parcels, Massolino chose to bottle its first single-vineyard wine from this site. As Franco Massolino explains, “From the very first moment this wine began to ferment, we knew we were dealing with a superb expression of Nebbiolo.” Of its two hectares in Albesani, Massolino used only 0.6 hectares of vines for this bottling. The vines were planted 50 years ago at 260 metres above sea level on soils of limestone, clay and marl with a southwest exposure.
The winemaking mirrors that of the Barbaresco. As reflected in the price, this is a big step up from the blend, a gorgeous, supple Barbaresco with alluring, lifted scents of red fruit, dried flower and sweet tobacco leading to a classically shaped palate of exciting depth, freshness and superb length.