Visiting Cantina Giuseppe Mascarello & Figli is in some ways a bit like traveling back in time: the winery is full of ancient, enormous botti, and though the largest casks are no longer in use, the family traditions still reign. Fermentations are slow, in concrete and steel; aging is long, in large oak botti ranging from 20 to 70 years of age. There are no tricks to doll the wines up. Farming decisions are made with an eye not only to the current vintage, but to future generations of Mascarellos.
However visiting Mascarello isn’t just stepping into the past: a visit is being welcomed into a space where you can feel the profound connection between the present and what has come before, the thread that ties today’s Piedmont to its rich and wonderful history.
Elena and her brother, Giuseppe, are the latest Mascarellos to carry the thread forward, and they're doing it beautifully, which shows in the wines. The family has some of Piedmont's greatest terroirs, including Monprivato (often called “the Musigny of Barolo”). They do what they need to do to allow those terroirs to shine year after year, in each new vintage’s unique voice.
Professional Reviews
Antonio Galloni
AG95
"Mauro Mascarello’s 2008 Barolo Monprivato is a much more lifted and translucent wine than the 2006 Le Vigne. A wine that needs considerable air, the 2008 only starts to blossom with a few hours in the glass. Monprivato is often quirky, but the 2008 is a real moving target. Just this week alone I have tasted six bottles of the 2008 and found the wine a bit all over the place, especially compared to other wines from the same year. Still, with patience, the 2008 really sings. Ideally, readers should plan on cellaring the 2008 for at least another few years."
Robert Parker
RP95
"This is the current vintage on the market now. The 2008 Barolo Riserva Monprivato Cà d'Morissio is a polished and expressive creation that has inched slowly along its aging trajectory in the many years that have passed since the harvest. The wine has one foot in the realm of primary aromas with dark fruit and dried plum. The other foot has already moved toward tertiary tones of campfire ash, licorice, road paving and perfumed white truffle. The effects of oxygen have started their magic on this well-built and solid wine. The long finish ends with dryness and austerity." -Monica Larner
Jancis Robinson
JR2013-04-01T00:00:00.000-04:00
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Wine Spectator
WS95
"Detailed and fragrant, offering floral, strawberry, cherry, licorice and spice flavors, this is elegant and underlined by a strong mineral streak. Well-proportioned, picking up intensity and complexity on the long, savory finish. Extremely fresh and classy."
Wine Enthusiast
WE96
"One of Barolo's most iconic bottlings, this shows breeding and elegance despite the extreme heat of the vintage. A beautiful fragrance of red rose, violet and perfumed berry accompanies a whiff of cake spices. The silky palate delivers succulent wild cherry, licorice, white pepper and cinnamon impeccably balanced by supple tannins and fresh acidity."