Barolo DOCG “Parafada” 2017 – Massolino

The Barolo DOCG “Parafada” Massolino is a traditional Barolo with long fermentation and maceration in oak fermenters (“tini”) at temperatures around 30°C; the wine is aged in large Slavonian oak casks for up to 30 months before being left to mature in bottle for about a year in special dark, cool cellars.

Fruit for this wine is grown in the 1.13 hectare Parafada vineyard, situated at an altitude of 330 metres above sea level. The chalky, marl soil in this south-facing vineyard produces excellent quality grapes. The vineyard is protected from the wind by a ridge formation which helps the grapes ripen fully even in cooler vintages. The vines are Guyot trained and are planted at a density of 5,800 vines per hectare and the yield, 4.5 tonnes per hectare. The average age of these vines is 55 years.

This 23 hectare estate has been in the Massolino family since 1896. Since 1994 the style of the wines has undergone a subtle transformation. Winemaker Franco Massolino has done a wonderful job of marrying change with a respect for tradition, something that sets him apart from most of the younger producers in Barolo today. This is in part dictated by the nature of the vineyards that the Massolino family owns in the commune of Serralunga d’Alba – the source of some of the greatest, most structured, robust and long-lived Barolo wines.