Bartolo Mascarello, Barolo 1989

robert_parker96

Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.

The just-bottled 1989 Barolo reveals an opaque dark ruby/purple color, and a huge, classic bouquet representing the essence of rose petals, intermingled with scents of super-ripe black and red fruits, earth, and a whiff of tar. The wine is powerful, rich, and exceptionally well-balanced, with magnificent concentration and a long, spicy, hugely tannic finish that is not out of balance for the wine's exceptional extraction of fruit. Because of the super-ripeness achieved in the 1989 vintage, this wine can be drunk young but promises to last for decades to come. A brilliant effort! With a production of only about 1,500 cases, Bartolo Mascarello has a well-deserved cult following among admirers of the traditional style of Barolo. Importers: Riservati, Seattle, WA and Vias Imports, Great Neck, NY.

robert_parker96

Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni

Bartolo Mascarello's 1989 Barolo (magnum) is all freshly cut roses, plums, prunes and sweet spices. The aromas and flavors continue to emerge with notable vigor and intensity, framed exquisitely by firm, silky tannins. Grace and class come to mind as apt descriptors for a wine that balances exceptional depth yet also floats on the palate with ethereal qualities that are hard to do justice to on the printed page. The finish is long and wonderfully pure, with overtones of licorice and menthol that invite a second (and third!) taste. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2030. Sadly, Bartolo Mascarello passed away in 2005. Mascarello was one of the last staunch traditionalist producers in Piedmont, -the last of the Mohicans- as he liked to say. The wines were indeed very traditional, at times positively, and at others, less so. Mascarello's Barolo was and remains one of the few wines still made from a combination of vineyards rather than a single-vineyard wine. The fruit, from holdings in San Lorenzo, Cannubi, Torriglione and Rue, was co-fermented in cement and then racked into large, neutral oak, where the wines aged for roughly three and a half years before being bottled. Although the wines sometimes show elements of rusticity that trouble even the most forgiving of palates, when the wines are on, they are sensational. At times powerful when young, the wines almost always age into soft, Burgundian examples of Barolo. Mascarello's 1989 and 1990 Barolos, both of which I tasted from magnum, are still infants, but the same wines in standard bottles are equally magnificent.

vinous96

Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni

One of the most anticipated wines of the night, the 1989 Barolo is not as exceptional as it can be. I have tasted the 1989 mostly from magnum recently, so perhaps my expectations are a bit colored. Even from the big bottle, though, the 1989 has always shown slight imperfections, especially in the bouquet. In this tasting, my impression is that in the standard bottle those imperfections are more evident. There is plenty of texture and depth to the fruit, but it is the aromatics that are penalizing here.