Cantina Massara (Burlotto)

Descended from Verduno’s famous Il Commendatore G.B. Burlotto, who supplied the House of Savoia from his estate during the 1860s, it was Andrea Burlotto, his great grandson, who founded Cantina Massara in the early 1900s. Andrea fathered seven children (2 daughters Giuseppina & Luciana, & 5 sons Francesco, GianCarlo, Giacomino, Sergio & GianBattista) & started bottling the Barolo in the early 1970s, before passing away in 1995; leaving the 40ha mixed farm estate to his 7 offspring to manage.

This they did as a collective until 2013 when GianCarlo & his son Gianluca (left), a graduate of Alba’s Umberto 1 Wine School who had joined the family estate in 2002, decided to hive off 10ha of vines from the family estate, all in the comune of Verduno, & to focus their energies on producing wine. 2013 was also the vintage in which Giancarlo & Gianluca Burlotto first released a Barolo Massara, from the fine old 1969 planted parcel that lies high up below the village of Verduno itself (arriving from Roddi). In vintage 2015 they also produced their inaugural Barolo Monvigliero from a tiny parcel in affitto in the heart of the famous vineyard. The Burlotto family also own vines in the vineyards of Castagni, Neirane, Silio, & Campasso.

In the meantime: in 2000 the Burlottos bought a new destemmer; in 2007 they built a new cantina in the centre of the village, attached to the historic cellar, & also invested in several new 75 & 100HL Garbellotto botti, plus a new pneumatic press into the bargain! Gianluca has a sister Claudia, who now helps in the cantina. Gianluca is married to Carla of Gallo & they have two small children Federico & Anna.

Vinification is traditional. Nebbiolo da Barolo: co-fermented fruit (for the Barolo classico), stainless-steel open-vat temperature controllato (c. 28 degrees), selected yeast, followed by circa 15 – 20 days pumping over/remontaggio, no submerged cap, maceration or punching down (i.e. very gentle), followed malolactic in stainless steel, & by 36 months in botti grandi of 16HL, 50HL, 75HL & 100HL with minimal racking; the most recent botti bought in 2008. DIAM10 corks are used.