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Rated 98/100 by Wine Spectator (top 1% of their reviews).
WNLQ9 vintage signal, averaged from Wine Enthusiast Wine Vintage Chart 2026 Edition's 2 closely-agreeing Piedmont 2016 ratings (Piedmont Barbaresco; Piedmont Barolo).
A vintage grade rates the growing season in this wine’s region — not this specific bottle. Source.
Researched by our team from producer and independent sources — not supplied by the seller.
Massolino has bottled Vigna Rionda as a distinct, single-cru wine every vintage since 1982 (uninterrupted), one of the longest continuous single-vineyard track records in Barolo; the 2016 vintage was singled out for the all-black-label 'Etichetta Nera' Riserva designation, released in September 2022.
The Massolino family has worked in Serralunga d'Alba since Giovanni Massolino founded the estate in 1896, initially as a mixed farm selling bulk wine alongside produce and livestock, in keeping with the era's Langhe custom. His son Giuseppe took over in the 1930s, modernized viticulture, helped found what is now the Consorzio di Tutela Barolo Barbaresco, and began selling bottled wine.
The family's Vigna Rionda holdings were built up over decades — an initial parcel inherited around 1956, a further parcel purchased in 1967, the most significant annexation in 1986, and a final parcel added in 1990 — and the estate is now run by the third/fourth generation siblings Franco, Roberto and Paola Massolino.
Braised short rib or oxtail ragu with wide pasta
Classic Piedmontese pairing logic: long-braised, gelatinous beef cuts have the richness and umami depth to stand up to Barolo's high tannin and acidity.
Truffle-based dishes (tagliolini al tartufo)
Nebbiolo's earthy, tar-and-rose profile is a textbook match for white or black truffle, a traditional regional pairing in Piedmont.
Product information compiled from producer, importer and reference sources.
Few producers get the opportunity – or maybe the good fortune – to work in a such a unique and special vineyard. We took ownership of our first parcel in 1956. For us, producing the high caliber wines of Vigna Rionda is a great responsibility and honor as we
are not only tasked with ensuring that the site shines in the glass, but we also seek to pay homage to the work of those who preceded us – their fatigue and sacrifices that allow us to do what we love.
The uniqueness of the 2016 vintage drove us to further honor Vigna Rionda and what it represents to our family and for that reason, The Black Label is a priceless wine for us.
The 2016 growing season was marked by a water and thermal balance hardly experienced in recent years. The long vegetative cycle and great temperature variations across the seasons gifted us wines with rare completeness and depth. In this vintage, Vigna Rionda reaches unique levels of complexity.
For this reason, reverential fear makes us unable to write the tasting notes you normally find here.
Massolino Vigna Rionda 2016 will be available worldwide from September 2022.
Vigna Rionda is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious vineyard sites in Barolo, located in the heart of Serralunga d’Alba, a subregion known for producing wines of power, structure, and longevity.
Massolino is considered one of the benchmark producers of this cru, crafting a Riserva only in select vintages. The wine undergoes extended aging, allowing it to develop extraordinary complexity while maintaining its firm structural backbone.
The terroir—rich in limestone and clay—combined with Serralunga’s cooler microclimate, produces Nebbiolo with intense tannins, high acidity, and remarkable aging potential. This is a wine that evolves over decades, revealing layers of aroma and texture over time.
** Vintage may change — please confirm with our team.
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