1982 Barolo Vigna Rionda Riserva

In many ways the best was saved for last. Massolino's 1982 Barolo Vigna Rionda certainly proves that this was an auspicious debut vintage. It is a Barolo that combines much of the complexity of the 1989 with a good dose of the fruit of the 1990. It offers notable sweetness and extraordinary aromatics on a long, sinewy frame with a spellbinding sense of completeness. Future vintages such as 1986 and 1989 would prove to be even more successful but it is hard not to admire this refined, aristocratic Barolo…and I have always had a soft spot for the 1982s.