By now, the irrepressible Massimo Martinelli is no stranger to you at PRIMA. We’ve been selling his wines for many years . But, just in case, here’s a refresher. We first met Massimo at the old Renato Ratti cantina in La Morra some 25 years ago. At the time, he was not only the longtime winemaker at Ratti (he was Renato’s nephew and began working at the cellar when he was only 15), he was also their archivist and all-around guru for all matters viticultural and enological. At the time I met him, he had just been named the official archivist for the entire Barolo region as well as the president of the Barolo Consorzio. With a group of PRIMA customers, Massimo took us around the sort of museum he’d created in the ancient monastery that served as the Rattis’ original winery in Annunziata, and showed us the detailed maps and vintage charts he’d lovingly created by hand with Renato, decades before anyone else even thought to document the individual terroirs and crus of Barolo. Those old Ratti maps still adorn just about every wall in Barolo, even ours here at PRIMA. 

A true renaissance man, Massimo, in addition to his formidable winemaking skills, is also an accomplished author, poet, painter, raconteur, and the last word in Barolo when it comes to its history, crus and personalities. It’s safe to say there’s no one in the region who doesn’t know the man. When he finally retired from Ratti, he and his charming (and long suffering) wife Angioletta hunkered down in the family home, cum agriturismo, cum art studio, cum vineyard, cum Martinelli World Headquarters, called Antica Meridiana in Vicoforte-Mondovi.  There he continues to paint, write, cook, hold forth and generally carry on more like he’s 28 rather than 82. In addition to all that, he has, for many years, kept his fingers wet, so to speak, making, at the Trediberri facility in Annunziata, a small amount of delicious Dolcetto from the vines that surround their property which happens to fall into the Dogliani DOCG zone. It was Angioletta who insisted, though, that Massimo’s talent for making fine Nebbiolo was being wasted in his retirement, and that he should make more of the wine that made him famous. And so it came to be. Leaning on some old friends, starting back in 2012, he began to source some grapes from some of the Barolo region’s top crus as well as using fruit from his own vineyard, and, now, in addition to publishing a book on his life in Barolo, he’s also returned to making it.  Massimo calls his Langhe Nebbiolo production ‘Bricco Mollea,’ after his vineyard and ‘Vurei di Langhe’, as in ‘the Truth of the Langhe’ where he lives. Over the years we’ve been associated with it, it’s simply gotten better every vintage! We last visited with him this past October and Massimo, even though he’s had to give up smoking his beloved Toscani, was in fine fettle while presenting his newest vintage of Vurei alongside a platter of his delicious homemade frittata. As always, a delight!  The 2022 is one of the heftiest, best filled versions of savory, luscious Nebbiolo we’ve had in a while. After over 65 years making it, Massimo still has a deft touch with this hard-to-master grape, and it shows in this elegant, medium weight red packed with cinnamon-y, smoky red and yellow cherries on the palate and a rose garden full of faded petals on the nose. Beautiful drinking right now and very food friendly, it’s a wonderful house wine candidate that will also age well. Very highly recommended! 

Want to taste first? Come to PRIMA Vini’s Open House on Friday evening June 27th and we’ll have it open for you!