It was a brisk October morning when I first met Massimo Benevelli at his winery, just outside of Serralunga d’Alba. In spite of the autumnal chill, the sun shone brightly overhead, steadily burning off the layer of morning fog blanketing the landscape. Even before tasting through Massimo’s humble, yet dignified production, the day seemed almost perfect: the snow-capped Alps loomed hazily in the distance, and a quiet murmur about town suggested the season’s first white truffles had begun to appear on local dining tables.

Massimo’s Baroli are classical, brilliantly crafted representations of what is perhaps Italy’s most distinguished red wine. He strives to carry on the work of his father, who founded the estate with a focus on the steep, well-exposed Ravera vineyard, long known to produce a powerful breed of Nebbiolo with great complexity and finesse.
    Aged in a combination of enormous old botti and smaller used barrels, this Barolo possesses both the accessibility to provide immediate pleasure and the rigid spine to confer it long cellaring potential. The 2011 plays off this balance with particular flair: plush, ripe dark fruit laced with flowers and leather shows through, supported by firm acidity and a fine, grippy
tannin. It exudes loads of early-drinking charm without sacrificing age-worthiness—you’ll see that after only a few years it begins to show aromas of white truffles, just like the ones Massimo generously shared at lunch that October day. Now that a modest amount of Benevelli’s wine has arrived in our store, we encourage you to seek out this beautiful 2011 from the latest Barolista to join our team. –Anthony Lynch