• Meet The Winemaker - Franco Massolino of Massolino
• 7:00pm

Join us for a celebration of the wines of Massolino, fifth generation winemaker Franco Massolino will guide you on a comprehensive tour of this landmark Piedmont estate. Franco will pour a selection of current releases plus some older vintages that highlight the incredible depth and character of this small but prolific estate.

The fact that Massolino has just been awarded a place on Wine & Spirits Top 100 Wineries of 2010(not yet announced) combined with recent 90+ scores in Robert Parker's Wine Advocate make this dinner an essentiial experience for fans of top flight Barolo.

Wines to be poured:

2008 Langhe Chardonnay
2008 Dolcetto
2007 Barbera d'Alba
2004 Barolo 
2005 Barolo Margheria (from magnum)
2005 Barolo Parafada (from magnum)
1999 Barolo Vigna Rionda Riserva

Price include a sumptious 3 course meal and all wines. Space is extremely limited, get your tickets today.

For more than a century, the Vigna Rionda-Massolino Winery has been making a name for itself by producing spicy, aromatic Barolos. This fantastic family-run, Piedmont winery was founded in 1896 and is now run by three generations of the family, including winemakers Franco and Roberto Massolino. The small estate, in the beautiful wine hamlet of Serralunga d'Alba, is divided into four vineyards that have only 18 hectares of planted vineyards among them. Yet from this modest land holding come nearly a dozen pampered, boutique wines.

Massolino's Classic Barolo-in production since 1911-is still the winery's best-known wine. Made with Nebbiolo grapes grown in different subzones, the wine reflects the terroir's broad and variable spectrum of perfumes, ranging from the classic spicy notes to those of a sweeter, floral and fruity nature.

The more exclusive wines originate in the winery's three cru vineyards: Margheria, Parafada and Vigna Rionda. These small one- to two-hectare vineyards are the birthplace of the highly respected wines Barolo Margheria, Barolo Parafada and Vigna Rionda Riserva. Each is a complex blend with great aging potential, and Franco will pour an example from each cru. The Margheria vineyard is one of the most important and famous cru vineyards of Serralunga, purchased by the estate towards the end of the 1950's.

The soil is calcareous with a good percentage of sand, adding elegance, mineral and spicy notes to the wine. Nearby is the marly-lime-soiled Parafada vineyard, where a wine with rich berry, leather and vanilla notes originates. With a similar marly lime soil, the vineyard situated in Vigna Rionda produces an important, potent wine, suitable for long aging.