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Ratings and Description Ratings and Description 97 97 ...
Ratings:
97 Kerin O'Keefe - kerinokeefe.com
Camphor, dark spice, cedar and a whiff of sun warmed hay slowly shape the enticing nose. The full-bodied palate boasts weightless finesse and a great depth of flavors, featuring ripe Morello cherry, crushed raspberry, star anise and a hints of tobacco framed in firm but refined tannins. Drink 2025–2032.
97 Wine Enthusiast
Camphor, dark spice, cedar and a whiff of sun warmed hay slowly shape the enticing nose. The full-bodied palate boasts weightless finesse and a great depth of flavors, featuring ripe Morello cherry, crushed raspberry, star anise and a hint of tobacco framed in firm but refined tannins. Drink 2025–2032. — Kerin O’Keefe
96 Monica Larner - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Showing a light ruby shine that radiates from the glass, the Bartolo Mascarello 2017 Barolo proves once again that elegance can be achieved, despite the many challenges of an extreme vintage, when worked by the right hands. In this case, the hands are those of Bartolo's daughter, the legendary Maria Teresa Mascarello. This celebrated Barolo boasts a silky sheen and glossy character that transcends bouquet and mouthfeel. Wild cherry, lilac, iron ore and candied orange peel are revealed softly on the bouquet. The wine takes a few minutes to open before all those pretty little details come into view. Acidity is an important component of this graceful Barolo, as it ties together the fruit and heightens that sense of electricity and liveliness. This is a collectors' bottle to keep safely in your cellar.
96 Decanter
In 2015, Maria-Teresa Mascarello uprooted the estate's San Lorenzo vines, which no longer feature in this impressive blend. The 2017, as with the exceptional 2016, instead includes grapes from Monrobiolo di Bussia. Harvest was completed on 23 September, more or less two weeks earlier than average. In the winery, the maceration was reduced from the usual 40-50 days to 20. Subdued rose and tar notes are joined by a leafy lightness, then a crystalline definition of red berries in both aroma and flavour. Velvety tannins and assertive acidity hold the wine in tension and balance, powered by orange savouriness. It's more delicate and less extracted than 2016, but with similar ageing potential. Released in September 2021
Product Description:
Bartolo Mascarello (officially known as Cantina Mascarello Bartolo) is a revered wine producer based in the town of Barolo in Piedmont, Italy. The estate was founded in 1918 and brought to prominence by the eponymous Bartolo Mascarello, who died in 2005. It is now run by his daughter Maria-Teresa Mascarello. The estate is particularly known for its traditionally-made Barolo wines. Indeed, much of Bartolo Mascarello's enduring reputation outside of his wines was forged around his staunch resistance to the so-called "modernisation" of winemaking in the Barolo region. At a time when many fashionable estates were turning to small, French oak barriques and shorter maceration times, Mascarello retained 30 to 50-day maceration and the traditional large-format Slavonian oak tuns, or "botti". As well as being a vocal opponent of the modern movement in the region, Mascarello also resisted the more recent fashion for single-vineyard releases. He was also known for his opposition to right-wing Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi, making headlines in the early 21st Century by releasing the "No barrique, no Berlusconi" labeled Barolo. "No Barrique, because I am against the use of barriques in Barolo – I am a traditional producer. No Berlusconi because I don’t like his type of politics," he told Decanter magazine in 2002. The label has gone on to become a collector's item. Mascarello's outspoken stances were nonetheless combined with much critical praise for his wines – the latter a record Maria-Teresa Mascarello has retained. Elegant and floral with great finesse, Mascarello wines continue to be considered among Barolo's greatest, and fetch some of the highest prices in the appellation. The estate itself covers just five hectares (12 acres) of vines, made up of small parcels in the Canubbi (one hectare/2.5 acres), San Lorenzo (0.25 hectares/0.6 acres) and Rué (0.25 hectares/0.6 acres) vineyards, and 1.2 hectares (three acres) in Rocche del Annunziata in La Morra. The lone Barolo label is a blend of these different crus. Cantina Bartolo Mascarello also makes some Dolcetto and Barbera wines as well as a Langhe Freisa and Langhe Nebiolo. The winemaking style remains very traditional, with vinification and maceration in old cement and wooden vats with no temperature control. The Barolo is aged in traditional 2500 litre Slavonian oak botti for three years, followed by 12 months in the bottle before release. Production is tiny with only around 1250 cases of Barolo produced each year. Cantina Mascarello Bartolo should not be confused with a number of other, relatively well-known, Mascarello wineries in the area.