Natural cork. On the western hills above Neive, Albesani is one of Barbaresco’s great vineyards. In his Barbaresco MGA, Alessandro Masnaghetti explains that “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 has chosen 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 for this bottling—the parcel at the top of the vineyard (at 260 metres) with the poorest soils and the oldest vines (50 years of age). The soils are classic limestone and chalky clay, and it is exposed to the southwest. The winemaking mirrors that of the Barbaresco above, except Albesani ages in large-format Austrian oak as opposed to Slavonian.
It’s a super wine, incredibly aromatic and floral on both the nose and palate (it feels built on this perfumed lift). There’s rose, jasmine, mixed red fruits and all kinds of spice. Good length too. All class!
“Bright and fresh with notes of red berries, dried rose hips and asphalt. Medium-bodied. It has a meaty structure with very fine tannins and bright acidity. Shows tension and focus. Spicy at the end. Try after 2026.” 95 points, James Suckling, jamesuckling.com
“The 2021 Barbaresco Albesani is a super-classic wine that is going to need time to come around. It possesses notable structure and the understated depth that is common of Barbaresco. Time in the glass brings out scents of herbs, white pepper, autumn leaves and spice. All this needs is time in bottle.” 94 points, Antonio Galloni, Vinous