2000 | Bartolo Mascarello | Barolo

Gorgeous, exotic nose, with plums, prunes, cedar and mushrooms. Full-bodied and hedonistic, with loads of ripe fruit and spices underneath. Long and velvety.

Reviews:

• James Suckling: I found a bottle of this in Otto Restaurant in New York City last night and had to drink it. You know I am a fan of the 2000 vintage for Barolo. It was a very sunny and warm year making rich and ripe Barolos. Some said the wines would not age well because they were too ripe but I thought otherwise. The 2000 Barolos I currently am drinking show only youth. The 2000 Bartolo Mascarello Barolo last night was a good example. I really appreciate well-made bottles from this tradition-bound producer. This wine showed aromas and flavors of hazelnut, milk chocolate and berry. It was full and round with soft tannins and a pretty finish. This is wonderfully balanced. Bright and lively. Drink now or hold.

• Wine Spectator: Gorgeous, exotic nose, with plums, prunes, cedar and mushrooms. Full-bodied and hedonistic, with loads of ripe fruit and spices underneath. Long and velvety. This is magnificent. The maestro of classic Barolos pulls out all the stops.

Producer Information

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.

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