With 50,000 bottles made, the Massolino 2019 Langhe Nebbiolo is a relatively easy and stripped-down red wine with classic Nebbiolo aromas of wild berry, blue flower and earth. There is a rubbery element as well. The mouthfeel is mild, meaning that the best fruit of the vintage was probably directed elsewhere.

The Massolino 2018 Langhe Nebbiolo is a little ripe, with aromas of strawberry and dried raspberry. The wine is simple, primary and direct, but it ultimately lacks the nuance that you should expect of the Nebbiolo grape, even in an entry-level wine. The wine draws its fruit from various sites in Monforte d'Alba, Serralunga d'Alba and Alba (from a site with white soils). If I were to guess, fruit from the youngest vines are used to make this no-fuss wine. Some 40,000 bottles were made.

Massolino makes about 60,000 bottles of this wine every year and it sells very well. The 2017 Langhe Nebbiolo should offer that same value. This is an elegant, refined take on Nebbiolo, with bright and tonic fruit that just makes it a fun wine. The grapes used are from a selection of sites located in Monforte d'Alba and Serralunga d'Alba. Starting with the 2018 vintage next year, the blend will also see fruit from a vineyard in Alba with white soils. There's an easy structure to the Langhe Nebbiolo, a freshness and very bright appearance that area easy to love. For this one, see if you can get your hands on some Bra sausage.

The 2016 Langhe Nebbiolo is a clear, direct and immediate wine. It offers those characteristic varietal tones of dried berry fruit, rose hip and licorice with a cheerful and informal approach. This bouquet is mild in terms of intensity, but all the main components are there. There is a very subtle note of sweetness or softness in the mouth that makes this wine a good choice to drink within the next two or three years. With 40,000 bottles made, this wine should be relatively easy to source.

Aged in large oak casks for 12 months, the 2015 Langhe Nebbiolo offers balance and varietal purity. There is an emphasis on ripeness here, and you do feel some of the summer heat that washed over the Langhe in the 2015 vintage. The fruit is bright and cheerful with cherry confit and wild strawberry. Those lingering aromas are fragrant and bright.