Alessandro Masnaghetti - Barolo MGA Vol I, 3rd Edition BOOK PRE-ARRIVAL 

 Alesandro Masnaghetti, the man they call ‘The Map Man,’ is a walking, talking encyclopedia of the Langhe region of Piemonte.  I’ve been lucky enough to spend many hours trudging through vineyards and examining in detail just what makes each site special with this genial genius.  No one knows more!  But short of being able to hang out with Masnaghetti yourself, the next best thing is picking up one of his many informative and entrancing books on the region.  Since publishing his first book on Barolo in 2015, Alessandro has continued to relentlessly explore and document the Langhe's terroirs, producers, and wines, producing, over the following eight years, four more definitive works on the Barolo and Barbaresco regions.  His newest opus takes all this to a brand new level.  Although simply titled Barolo MGA Vol I, 3rd Edition, it is actually a very different book from the first two editions you can find as references in every winery in the region.  To start, it’s massively larger- a full 548 pages, an 85-page increase from the 2nd edition. The first two editions emphasized terroir, wine character and vineyard ownership, and he continues to build on that with an incredible set of eye-poppingly beautiful, completely reimagined maps. But for us wine geeks, the real excitement about the new edition is the new focus of Alessandro's research on the individual wines themselves. Organized by MGA (which is today's official name for a ‘named vineyard), Masnaghetti provides in-depth listings with dates and names of hundreds of different "cru" Barolos. It’s a fascinating read that will have you scurrying to your cellar to open a  bottle of Barolo to have at your side while you peruse.  The book- published in both Italian and English- is expected from the publisher sometime this winter and is being sold on a pre-sell basis.  We’ll give you a certificate to put under the tree to let the recipient know it’s coming.  We only have a dozen books to sell so please reserve yours soon!