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

What importer Polaner Selections has to say about this wine...

Vineyard
In 1983, having made several great Barolos from Monprivato, Mauro began replanting a two-acre section of the vineyard, using a Nebbiolo clone originally planted in Monprivato in 1921 by his grandfather Morissio. Mauro theorized that this clone—of the Michét subvariety had become uniquely adapted to the Monprivato terroir. Mauro’s goal was to produce a super-riserva Barolo called Cà d’Morissio.
Orientation
Southwest.
Soil
Calcareous marl.
Viticulture
Avg. Yield: 28 hL/hA
Vinification
~25 days with floating cap
Aging
Aging: 48 months in 25-27 HL casks.