What makes for the ultimate cellar worthy bottle of Barolo? You need three things: great vineyard parcels, an impeccable producer, and a stellar vintage. Cantina Massara’s Barolo del Comune di Verduno 2019 has all three in spades. The family behind this beauty is none other than the legendary Burlottos, a name familiar to every Barolo diehard and synonymous with the special but rarely seen village of Verduno. And as we’ve emphasized before, the 2019 vintage is the best the region has seen in years. Top 2019 wines, like today’s, are already opening up into transportative beauty yet poised to develop for ages in your cellar. Massara’s Barolo is the stuff vinous dreams are made of; whether you want a wine to age for decades or mark out a special evening right now, no Nebbiolo lover can afford to pass this up.
At the northernmost tip of the Barolo appellation lies the village of Verduno. It might not have the name recognition of a Castiglione Falletto or Serralunga d’Alba, but the wines here are truly special. Silty sandstone soils make for more perfumed, slightly softer Barolo that emphasizes the appellation’s floral charms in youth. It’s vitally important to the region–and the wider world–historically. In the 19th century, at the Castello di Verduno in the town’s center, the first dry Barolo was crafted, creating the classic style we know and love today. Yet it remains something of an insider’s secret these days, accounting for only about 5% of Barolo’s total production.
If there’s one name to know in Verduno, it’s Burlotto. In the late 1800s, alongside the Castello and its royal owners, Giovani Battista Burlotto was the town’s most important winemaker. He owned practically every important site outside the Castello’s jurisdiction, including the three at play in today’s wine. Upon his death in 1927, his holdings were split amongst his three sons. The oldest received the Castello di Verduno itself, which GB Burlotto had purchased a few years before. The second took over the family’s namesake winery, and the third took over the family’s farmhouse and top holdings on the Massara hill: Cantina Massara was born. GB Burlotto’s grandson and great grandson, Giancarlo and Gianluca, now head the estate. Together, they craft some of the most evocative Verduno bottlings you’ll ever come across.
For their standard bearer wine, the Burlottos blend fruit from three hills across Verduno–Massara, Neirane, and Castagni. This is the old way of doing things; single-vineyard Barolo is essentially a late 20th century invention. Combining vineyard sites allows the Burlottos to achieve optimal balance–opulent aromatics from Massara, robust depth from Castagni, and stringent, ageable structure from Neirane. Winemaking is done the old way too. Fermentations start spontaneously, macerations last up to a month, and aging takes place for no less than three years in huge Slavonian botti. The results are head spinning. Classic crushed raspberry, dried cherry, rose petals, orange peel, anise, tobacco, and mushroomy earth notes lead the nose. The palate still leans toward structure, prominent but fine-grained tannins and rigorous acid taking the lead, but there’s plenty of rich, fruity depth to make for a thrilling experience now. Pinpoint red fruits and cedary savor continue on the palate. The finish is minutes long, sandy mineral notes coming through. In short, it’s slam dunk Barolo, the sort of thing to lay down in large quantities and watch evolve over decades. For anyone looking for the greatest experiences in wine, this is not to be missed!
