The Massolino family are the superheroes of Serralunga d’Alba. Not only have they been producing some of Italy’s best fine wines since 1896, but the residents have Giuseppe Massolino to thank for bringing electricity to the village. It’s also fair to say that the Massolinos are responsible for Barolo being what it is today; in 1934 Giuseppe’s children Giovanni and Angela founded the Consortium for the Defence of Barolo and Barbaresco. So when it comes to areas of expertise, the Massolino family are pretty spot on about a lot of things.

The Massolinos own probably the most interesting collection of terroirs in Serralunga (literally translated as “long evening”, which give an indication of the village's position), a pretty patchwork that produces the three magical fine wines of Margheria, Parafada and Vigna Rionda. Among the smaller, quality-focused producers of the region (Fontanafredda, Luigi Pira and Rivetto are neighbours), Massolino’s philosophy is very simple - they just want to make wines with passion that remain loyal to its terroir.

Today Massolino is in its fourth generation; brothers Franco and Roberto joined in 1990 and remain keen to continue their family’s vision. Looking for ways to infuse modernity with traditionality they updated the cellars (which are managed by Franco and his cellar master Giovanni Angeli of Vajra fame) and made significant changes in the vineyards (which are Roberto’s domain). These changes, including lowering yields, have been extremely well received and today Massolino sits comfortably atop the Barolo tree.

As prices for Bordeaux and Burgundy soar, fine wine investors the world over hunt further and further afield for rare jewels, and Massolino comes up trumps every time. Equally important, Massolino is still relatively reasonably priced compared to other Barolos. Their superb ageing (think 20-30 years for the Margheria) coupled with low production and increasing interest in the area will no doubt see Massolino catapulted into the fine wine spotlight.