Bartolo Mascarello Barolo 2019

Maria Teresa Mascarello compared the 2019 of her Barolo (which will be released in September 2023) with the famed 1999 vintage. Fermented and aged in oak for 36 months, this blend of four MGAs – Cannubi, Rocche dell’Annunziata, Monrobiolo di Bussia and Ruè – will, from 2020, also incorporate grapes from San Lorenzo. Full of earthy tones, tar, smoky woodland and the elegance of leafy lightness, it shines for its depth and complexity, with the first hints of bergamot and potpourri. The palate is stylish, with firm, youthful, grainy yet sweet tannins allied to refreshing acidity of amazing delicacy; forward and zesty. An incredible structure wrapped up in a silk scarf.

About The Cantina Bartolo Mascarello

The Cantina Bartolo Mascarello is one of the legendary and historic producers of the Barolo appellation. The winery has stood as a beacon of staunch Barolo traditionalism since its official inception in 1918. The roots of the estate go back further, to the 19th century when the Mascarello family produced grapes which they sold to large wine producing houses in the nearby township of Bra. At around the turn of the century, though, a dozen or so producers including Bartolomeo Mascarello – Bartolo’s grandfather – established a much smaller entity, called the ‘Barolo Co-operative Winery’, and Bartolomeo became the cellar master there. Eventually, the Co-Operative closed, and Bartolo’s father, Giulio, just back from fighting in World War I, decided to take the plunge and produce some wine under his own label, a true rarity for that era. Although some of the wine was sold as actual bottles, much of theproduction was sold in demi-johns to restaurants and other consumers who undertook the bottling of the wine on their own. Over time, the estate acquired small parcels of choice vineyards in the communes of Barolo and La Morra. The winery was later passed onto Giulio’s son, Bartolo, in the 1960’s where they worked in tandem until Giulio’s death in 1981. Over that period, the winery began to gain more prominence. When Bartolo died in 2005, the baton was passed then to his only child, Maria Teresa. For many Barolo collectors, the Cantina Bartolo Mascarello has a special place in their hearts because of its fully independent spirit and unwavering dedication to the traditions and practices of a bygone era in Barolo.