Wine Advisor
Giuseppe Mascarello e Figlio, Barolo Monprivato 2010
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Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Monica Larner
Mauro Mascarello does not disappoint with his stunning 2010 Barolo Monprivato. This is an impeccable expression from Castiglione Falletto that imparts an immense sense of purity and elegance. The bouquet opens slowly to reveal pressed flower, cola, dried ginger, forest fruit and balsam herb. This is a magnificent expression of Nebbiolo that changes and shifts each time you come back to contemplate its aromas. That magical fluidity is also present in the mouth. The wine presents silky tannins and crisp fruit flavors. Given the sheer quality on display now, you can count on Barolo Monprivato to continue a slow and successful evolution in your cellar. This is a true beauty.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
Mascarello's 2010 Barolo Monprivato shows good depth and volume in the glass, but the flavors are also a touch forward, which is a bit unusual for the year. Sweet red cherry, raspberry, mint, white pepper and orange peel linger on the delicate finish, all supported by silky, polished tannins. The 2010 is a bit more fully formed than it was a few months ago, but I don't find the pedigree of the best years, and I say that after having had the 1989, 2004 and 2008 in the days leading up to this visit.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
Mauro Mascarello's 2010 Barolo Monprivato is a pretty wine. Medium in body and graceful, the 2010 is laced with distinct notes of cherry pit, rhubarb, crushed rose petals, mint, orange peel and cinnamon. Overall, the 2010 is a solid effort, although it does not have the explosiveness, translucent finesse or sheer visceral thrill of the best wines of the vintage. The 2010 was just bottled in August and Monprivato is notorious for being hard to judge in its youth, so it will be interesting to see what time brings. Bottles I left open overnight did not show any meaningful development.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
(this was a treat Mascarello pulled from cask at the end of my tasting): Medium red. Knockout nose showcases tangy red fruits, minerals and porcini. Conveys an impression of superb concentration and dusty extract, with the tactile solidity of the best young 2010s already coming through in spades. A wine of great length and potential. I'll play the interventionist wine writer and wonder out loud why this won't be bottled for another year. But as devil's advocate to my devil's advocate, 2010 is one vintage that generally has the extract and energy to benefit from an extended elevage.
About the Producer
History Since time immemorial Nebbiolo has been the most highly-prized vine and the wine-growing emblem of Alba and the Langa, and when it is matched with a great wine-making terroir it is capable of expressing itself at sublime levels in wines of remarkable personality, intense bouquet, great smooth tannins, and outstanding possibilities of evolution and resistance over time. The members of the Giuseppe Mascarello family have been growing wines for more than a century and a half, first as farmers running the Manescotto estate in the village of La Morra for the Marchesa Giulia Colbert Faletti di Barolo, and then on their own property since the late 1800s. MAURO MASCARELLO Mauro Mascarello first worked in the winery for many years alongside his father, before taking on the responsibility of running the cellar in Monchiero in 1967, when he also made his first wines. In 1970 he began to vinify the grapes grown on each single vineyard separately, starting with the MONPRIVATO Nebbiolo and then proceeding with the other vineyards. Upon the death of his uncle Natale in 1979, Mauro Mascarello purchased his company, re-uniting it into the Azienda Agricola Giuseppe Mascarello e Figlio. In 1980 he assumed direct responsibility for the family’s MONPRIVATO vineyard, continuing to run it with the same philosophy: application of the techniques that have always been followed to obtain the highest quality of “grape raw material” from every point of view. Famiglia Mascarello Mauro Mascarello's farm is now run with the help of his wife Maria Teresa on the accounts-administration side, and – though not yet full-time – his son Giuseppe, who qualified as a wine technician from the Agricultural and Enological Institute in Alba in 1994. In the years 1982, 1985, 1987, and 1990, a series of purchases completed the ownership of the MONPRIVATO vineyard, and Mauro Mascarello became the only producer of this Barolo cru. The Vineyards The Mascarello family property extends over 15 hectares of vineyards, all located within the Barolo wine-growing area. Some, like the MONPRIVATO vineyard, can now be said to be a part of the family history, while the grapes grown on others were first purchased by Mauro before – having had the opportunity to ascertain their quality – he managed to buy the vineyards for the estate. The Wine The fine wines grown on the Giuseppe Mascarello farm include – alongside Barolo MONPRIVATO – the following Barolos: Bricco, Villero, and Codana from vineyards in Castiglione Falletto, and Santo Stefano di Perno from vineyards in Monforte d’Alba.
