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Giuseppe Mascarello Visit 2010

I consider myself very fortunate for getting to meet with Mauro Mascarello and his son Giuseppe each year, though Giuseppe was absent this year due to a miserable tooth. Not only are the wines at Chez Mascarello always a treat to experience, the company is second to none.

The Azienda Agricola Giuseppe Mascarello e Figlio, named for Mauro’s great grandfather who started the firm in 1881, produces wine in typical Piedmontese style, which is to say that there is a complete line-up of wines that range from basic bottlings of all the main local varieties, as well as single vineyard examples.

The undisputed star here, and one of the greatest wines of Piedmont, is the Barolo from the Monprivato vineyard, which was originally purchased by Mauro’s grandfather. This is classic Barolo; it's slow to mature, incredibly coy in its youth, often looking far too pale and seeming far too frail to amount to much.But given the benefit of time in a proper cellar it emerges after a decade or two as a gorgeous example of Nebbiolo at its finest. Complex, both gentle and stern, perfumed and with an elegance that tends to set it apart from all but the finest Barolo.

Mauro is always striving to improve on his wine, whether by slowly adjusting maceration times for the wine, or painstakingly selecting the best genetic material to replant the vineyard, the efforts have always been and continue to be focused on producing the purest example of each varietal without leaving too much of a winemaker's mark.

These are all wines that speak as much about their vineyards as they do about the grapes used to make them. The truth is that that hands off approach taken by Mauro, and increasingly by Giuseppe as he slowly takes over more responsibility in the winery, is not without risks, but they are risks worth taking. They seem to have resulted in a long line of exceptional wines, though every now and then a wine fails to meet the lofty expectations the Mascarellos have created for themselves.

This year’s line-up had a few misses among the wines, but the greatest wines of Giuseppe Mascarello continue to be among the best in the world. While prices have been creeping up for these bottles, and in particular for the Reserva Ca d’Morissio, the Barolo Monprivato continues to be one of the world’s greatest wine values. 

Read the wine reviews, after the jump. 


2008 Dolcetto Santo StefanoWoodsy on the nose with notes of candied roses petal and geranium dominate the lean nose. The palate shows decidedly more fruit in the purple, grapy plum and of the spectrum and while this is zesty with cleansing acids it is a bit tough with tough tannins, particularly noticeable on the modest finish. 86pts

2008 Dolcetto BriccoFresh and pure on the nose with a very tight core of soil inflected fruit. It’s almost slatey smelling. On the palate the fruit is framed by fresh, crisp tannins giving great focus to the lightly briary core that is clear and crisp with good length. 88pts

2005 Barbera ScudettoVery sweet wild fruit on the nose that is a bit figgy and fudgy with a strong vegetal top note, and a vivid streak of tar. Broad and expansive in the mouth with a wonderful transparent feel to the pure red fruits. This really floats in the mouth with a nice accent of tannin helping to give it some shape. The finish is long and really driven by that tannin which adds a nice earthy note to the finale 89pts

2006 Barbera Santo StefanoWild aromas on the nose recall mulberry fruit with notes of redwood and a big pressed flower note. Ripe and rich in the mouth without being heavy at all. This packs in a lot of wild black raspberry fruit with just a hint of astringency and nice gentle tannins that will quickly loosen up, The finish is very fine and focused with good cut to the red plum skin and lightly floral tones that show good length. 89pts

2005 Freisa ToettoPretty on the nose with floral and citrus rind top notes over a slightly gummy (chichlets) hard and estery core of fruit. Medium bodied on the palate with a nice focused feel to the slight stemmy, herbal tinged and barely ripe fruit flavors. The tannins are a bit abrasive giving the fruit a bit of a pomegranate seed quality that carries through onto the medium length finish.  87pts

2001 Status75% Nebbiolo – 20% Barbera – 5% Freisa

Candied on the nose with notes of coffee, cola and middle eastern spices- Supple in the mouth with small tannins and some bright raspberry fruit that has good acid drive through the mid-palate and gains nice red plumskin tones on the finish which shows a bit of heat and a nice roasted chestnut tone. 85pts

2007 Langhe NebbioloIntense rose petals on the nose over a bed of ripe red fruits with hints of peach skin and soil – Big and round on entry with very bright acids and tons of fresh fruit with touches of licorice and leather contributing to the inner mouth perfume. The finish shows layered fruits with peach and watermelon tones leading to a light, broad, and long finish 90pts

2004 Barolo VilleroTarry on the nose, lots of asphalt with the dark cherries in alcohol, slightly confiture of strawberry, and a touch of smoky peppercorn that sets off the sweet fruit. On the palate this is mouthfilling with superb acidity and caressing tannins. Up front there is a great vein of kiwi tinged wild amarena cherry fruit with spicy top notes and a nice streak of melon rind. The wine narrows a bit on the finish but has great reserves of fruit and real length with a nice touch of soil on the finale. Surprisingly this seems close to being ready. 93pts

2005 Barolo Santo Stefano de PernoTight and earthy on the nose with dried rose petals, a bit composty with a fresh, minty, woodsy tone and a touch of fennel pollen. On entry this shows great freshness but it looses a bit of focus on the mid-palate. The crisp tannins and bracing acids give this a slightly lean feel that helps to frame the nicely pure fruit flavors on the mid-palate. The fruit has the nervous edge of barely ripe fruit, red raspberry here, but the structure seems to be dominant here and those tannins drive the moderately long, savory finish. 89pts

2004 Barolo MonprivatoBig dried fruits on the nose, dried raspberry, sandalwood, cardamom, incense, and tobacco, all freshly presented and very precise – Super bright and focused in the mouth with a core of vibrant raspberry, nettle, and rosehip tinged fruit. There is a nice touch of green peach on the backend acids and the finish closes up fairly quickly though there is a nice echo of that green tone again accenting the big pop of fruit on the final. This is starting to close down a bit but it shows exceptional balance. 94pts

2005 Barolo MonprivatoWoodsy on the nose with big soil tones, really hard smelling mineral water notes as well over lightly smoky fresh fruit. -  Melon fruit up front in a slightly fleshy feeling wine with integrated acids and hard but not dry tannins. There is a nice core of round fruit on the mid-palate with spice and herb tones coming to the fore on the backend. The wine gains depth and volume with air and the tannins do become somewhat more prominent coming to dominate the moderately long finish. 92pts

2003 Barolo MonprivatoBig dried fruit tones on the nose balanced by mint and rose petals with a soft suggestion of white chocolate sweetness – a bit smooth on the palate with good acids and softening tannins supporting rich raspberry fruit that covers the tannins nicely. This has that same sort of chocolatey sweetness on the palate as well and finishes a touch short 89pts

2003 Barolo Riserva Ca d’MorissioHuge dried fruit tones on the nose with notes of menthol, asphalt, deep, toasty black spices, tar, and a fine rose stem top note – On the palate this is rich and velvety with fine grained tannins and lovely, perky acids filling the mouth wit dense, juicy fruit. This really is powerful yet remains elegant with impressive depth and complexity. The finish is layered with excellent rosehip, licorice, forest floor, and spice tones and very long. 95pts
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