Piedmont (Castiglione Falletto), Italy
Located in the heart of the Langhe hills, at the top of the village of Castiglione Falletto, the Vietti wine cellar was founded in the late 1800's by Carlo Vietti. The estate has gradually grown over the course of time, and today the vineyard holdings include some of the most highly-prized terroirs within the Barolo and Barbaresco winegrowing areas and Vietti is regarded as a benchmark for Piedmont wines.
Antonio Galloni's Winery of the Year 2022 - "To me, Vietti has always been a reference point. All these years later, well, the wines have frankly never been better. The last two years in particular, I have been blown away by the quality and consistency here. Bravi!" - Antonio Galloni, Dec/2022
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Barbaresco Roncaglie Masseria
| SKU (BC) | 187880 |
| SKU (AB) | 734639 |
| Country | Italy |
| Region | Piedmont |
| Type | Red |
| Varietal | Nebbiolo |
| Listing (BC) | Speculative |
| Case Config. | 6x750ml |
| Available In | BC AB |
Colour
Medium garnet/ruby.
Aroma
Intense aromas of ripe bing cherries with intricate complexities of minerals, tea leaves and rose petals.
Flavour
Dark, ample and structured. Bright acids and a firm spine of tannin give the red-toned fruit energy and vivacity throughout.
Food Pairing
Hearty stew, wild game, roasted red meats and sharp, aged cheeses.
More Info
"In my view the Barbaresco Masseria is the most under-the-radar wine at Vietti. I rarely see it talked about, and yet it has been quite impressive for a number of years. The 2017 and 2018 vintages mark an important transition for the Masseria. Readers should note that 'Masseria' is a trademarked brand, not a vineyard, named for one of the hamlets within the Cottá sub-zone where Alfredo Currado first sourced fruit for this wine in the 1960s. Over the years vineyard sources for the Barbaresco have varied. The 2017 is the last vintage made from an assortment of leased vineyards. Beginning in 2018, the Masseria is made exclusively from a sizeable parcel in Roncaglie Vietti acquired from Socré." - Antonio Galloni, Vinous, Feb/2022
Antonio Galloni's Vinous, Nov/2023
2020 -
"The 2020 Barbaresco, from vines in Roncaglie, sizzles with tension. Bright, red-toned fruit, orange peel, mint, white pepper and crushed rocks are all beautifully delineated. In many vintages, the Roncaglie is quite showy. That is hardly the case in 2020, a vintage in which the wine is classically austere and in need of time. Super-classic."
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, Apr/2024
2020 -
"The Vietti 2020 Barbaresco Roncaglie Masseria has bright rose, cherry, redcurrant and angel food cake with strawberries. There are mineral notes as well, and the fruit unfolds over the palate with gentle intensity. There is some oak spice, but it is very well integrated; and the wine shows good balance, especially where the tannins versus acidity is concerned. Only 6,100 bottles were made."
Antonio Galloni's Vinous, Nov/2022
2019 -
"The 2019 Barbaresco Masseria Roncaglie is the best Barbaresco I have ever tasted from Vietti. Bright, translucent and full of energy, the 2019 is stunning from the very first taste, and it was poured after all the Barolos in the range. Crushed flowers, sweet red berry fruit, cinnamon, mint and orange peel all grace this exquisite, mind-blowing Barbaresco. The 2019 is pure and total finesse. For many years, the Barbaresco has been the hidden gem in this lineup. I am not sure how much longer that will last. The 2019 is outrageously beautiful. Don't miss it!"
James Suckling, Sep/2022
2019 -
Top 100 Wines of Italy 2022. "Complex aromas of blackberries and black truffle with some lavender. Full-bodied with velvety tannins that spread across the palate. Rich and deep on the finish, showing fantastic length and gravitas. Better after 2025."
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, Aug/2023
2019 -
"The Vietti 2019 Barbaresco Roncaglie Masseria helps to fill out this wide portfolio of wines representing the best of Piedmont. This winery was able to recently acquire new land in this cru site, now totaling two hectares of vines, thus giving considerably more fruit to this program. This Barbaresco is released one year after its peers to show additional depth and fullness, especially in this naturally concentrated vintage. Dark fruit and cherry cedes to pretty spice and tar."
Jeb Dunnuck, Apr/2023
2019 -
"A translucent ruby, the 2019 Barbaresco Roncaglie Masseria is beautiful and elegant in its perfume, with rosehip, rhubarb, and pomegranate. It is medium-bodied and a little restrained at the moment, but it has fine, present tannins and notes of sandy earth, cranberry, dried roses, and saline. Allow it another year in bottle and drink over the coming 10-15 years."
Wine Spectator, Feb/2024
2019 -
"This red is infused with kirsch, strawberry, floral, mineral and wild herb flavors backed by a spine of beefy tannins, which leave a compact finish today. The 2019s have shut down for the moment, but have patience, for there is a kernel of sweet, ripe fruit buried within. Best from 2026 through 2043. 419 cases made, 52 cases imported."
Wine Enthusiast, Apr/2024
2019 -
Editor's Choice. "Alluring aromas of warmed strawberries, bay leaf, mint and crushed chalk lift from the glass of this pretty Barbaresco. Tart red-berried fruits pop and sprint across the palate as savory and earthy elements slowly emerge as the fine tannins and vibrant acidity lift the wine on the finish. Drink now–2040."
Antonio Galloni's Vinous, Feb/2022
2018 -
"The 2018 Barbaresco Masseria Roncaglie is a captivating, layered wine full of character. Effusive aromatics make a strong opening impression. Rose petal, lavender, sage, blood orange and red berry fruit all run through this vibrant, focused Barbaresco. The 2018 is charming and nuanced from start to finish. This is the first vintage from a parcel that previously belonged to Socré. It's an impressive debut, to say the least. All this nervy Barbaresco needs is time."
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, Jun/2022
2018 -
"This wine shows its MGA name "Roncaglie" on the front label for the first time. That's because Vietti recently acquired additional land in this cru site. The total holdings now span two hectares of vines. The 2018 Barbaresco Roncaglie Masseria is made as if it were a Barolo (instead of a Barbaresco) and is released one year after its peers. It shows tart fruit and dried cranberry with some mild spice and tarry smoke from two years in large oak casks. Exactly 5,026 bottles were made."
Decanter, Jul/2022
2018 -
"Ripe intense red-fruits nose, stylish. High degree of chalky tannins but acidity is fresh with a sweet violet flavour, Has polish and finesse. Long."
Antonio Galloni's Vinous, Feb/2022
2017 -
"The 2017 Barbaresco Masseria is a dark, luscious wine that very clearly captures the best the vintage has to offer. Deep and beguiling, but with relatively soft contours, Vietti's 2017 shows the more virile side of Barbaresco in its distinctly Barolo-leaning structure. Black cherry, plum, lavender, menthol, spice and licorice saturate the palate. I have said it before, but it bears repeating, the Masseria is the most under the radar wine at Vietti today."
James Suckling, Jul/2021
2017 -
"So much fruit here with dried-strawberry, floral and citrus aromas. Full-bodied with very integrated tannins that are polished and dusty, yet chewy and fine. Dry earth and berry at the end. Becomes shy and reserved. Let it open. Drink after 2024."
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, Jun/2021
2017 -
"A release of 5,193 bottles, the Vietti 2017 Barbaresco Masseria opens to a spicy bouquet with a subtle point of white pepper or dried ginger that hovers over the bouquet, albeit briefly. At its core, the wine shows bright berry notes and some plum, although the wine's concentration remains finely etched and elegantly streamlined, overall. I do find the tannins to be a little dry and dusty in this hot-vintage release."
Antonio Galloni's Vinous, Nov/2019
2016 -
"The 2016 Barbaresco Masseria is without question one of the wines of the vintage. Powerful and explosive with stunning lift, the 2016 is just gorgeous. Dried flowers, mint, blood orange, red cherry and chalk infuse the 2016 with striking layers of nuance, but it is the wine's balance and total sense of harmony that leave the deepest impression. Vivid, powerful and wonderfully alive in the glass, the Masseria will thrill readers lucky enough to own it. The 2016 is such a stunning wine. The Masseria is a blend of several sites built around a core of fruit from Giaccone, in Treiso, along with Pora and Faset, both in Barbaresco. All I can say is: Wow!"
Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate, Jul/2020
2016 -
"The 2016 Barbaresco Masseria represents its own chapter in the volumes of wines that make up the Vietti portfolio. Masseria is always delicate and fine, and this is even more true in a classic vintage such as this. This wine has historically seen its fruit come from the Neive subzone of the Barbaresco appellation, and you'll notice some of the tightly polished and glossy tannins that are associated with this area. In fact, the wine is deceiving in that it starts off slowly, but it quickly amasses power and momentum on the mid-palate. Production is 3,479 bottles and 300 magnums. This is standout vintage of Vietti's Barbaresco Masseria."
Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate, Jun/2019
2015 -
"The 2015 Barbaresco Masseria shows nice, delicate fiber and a silkiness that marks this rendition as one of the most subtle and refined in recent memory. It's a much more elegant approach than 2010, for example, another hot July and August growing season that produced very different results, perhaps with more rigidity at the back. Serve this softer wine from 2015 with some blue cheese or Gorgonzola. The team at Vietti has gained access to more fruit in Barbaresco, including acquisitions in 2018 of 2.5 hectares in Roncaglie and 8,000 square meters of vines in Rabaja. Masseria is a fantasy name, but it technically is the informal name of part of the Cotta cru in Neive."
Antonio Galloni’s Vinous, Oct/2018
2015 -
“Vietti’s 2015 Barbaresco Masseria is a dense, powerful wine that is going to need at least a few years to fully come together. In 2015, the Masseria is a decidedly potent, masculine Barbaresco, with huge tannins and tremendous fruit density. Time in bottle will help soften some of the edges, but I imagine the 2015 will always remain rather somber. Macerated dark cherry, scorched earth, new leather, tobacco and licorice add to an impression of virile intensity.”
Antonio Galloni's Vinous, Aug/2017
2014 -
"The 2014 Barbaresco Masseria is superb. Dark, ample and structured, the 2014 captures all the pedigree of this important Barbaresco vintage. As always, the Vietti's Masseria is a wine that has Barolo-like structure and depth, partly because it is vinified and aged pretty much along the same lines as those wines. I expect the 2014 will require at least a handful of years to shed some tannin and start showing some of its inherent inner sweetness. There is so much to look forward to. Bright acids and a firm spine of tannin give the red-toned fruit energy and vivacity throughout."
Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate, Jun/2018
2014 -
“Call it the 2014 paradox: this controversial vintage has in fact produced some stellar wines, especially in the Barbaresco appellation. The 2014 Barbaresco Masseria is a softly textured wine with a yielding and velvety personality. It reveals a dark color and hearty disposition. It is generous and soft, requiring little cellar aging before it reaches its drinking prime. The 2014 vintage was hotter and saw less rain in Barbaresco compared to Barolo. Sandy soils in the Barbaresco appellation help to shape delicate and nuanced wines with bright floral and dark fruit aromas. Sandy soils dry out faster in the hot years because they drain any existing moisture too well. That’s why a cooler and wetter vintage like 2014 is particularly well suited to Nebbiolo in Barbaresco.”
Wine Spectator, Dec/2018
2014 -
"Lean and taut, showing more structure today than pure cherry and berry fruit. Holds together nicely through the finish, with a combination of fruit flavors, underbrush accents and dusty tannins. Be patient. Best from 2022 through 2040. 450 cases made."
Wine & Spirits Magazine, Dec/2017
2013 -
"Luca Currado harvests fruit for this wine from a south-facing slope in Treiso and keeps the wine on the skins for a full month before aging it two years in oak casks. In 2013, the result is dense, dark and spicy, with a heady opulence that makes it feel more like a Barolo. A sanguine note lends savor to the wine, balancing the lush fruit as the flavors move toward a long, spicy finish."
Antonio Galloni's Vinous, Dec/2015
2012 -
"Sweet red cherries, tobacco, mint, spices and new leather flesh out in Vietti's 2012 Barbaresco Masseria. Open-knit, silky and gracious, the 2012 is already quite expressive, yet also has enough depth to drink well for a number of years. So many 2012 Barbarescos are a bit forward, but Vietti's 2012 stands out for its freshness. Drink this super-elegant, refined Barbaresco over the next 15-20 years."
Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate, Jun/2016
2012 -
"With fruit sourced from various points within the Castiglione Falletto township, the 2012 Barolo Castiglione continues on its promise to offer a solid drinking experience based purely on quality Nebbiolo. This wine speaks more to the specific qualities of Nebbiolo, more than vineyard site. It opens to a dark garnet color with young aromas of cherry and spice. Elegant balsam notes of mint and licorice add a sharper sense of definition. This is a solid-drinking Barolo for the near and medium term."