2004 Bartolo Mascarello Barolo
Style, Purity, and Class

Recently Stanley Kubrick, Charlton Heston , and Robert Mondavi merited front page obituaries in the New York Times. Why did they also give one to Bartolo Mascarello, an obscure Piemontese winemaker?
For some of us the real question is why was he obscure? The answer was that for many years most of the American wine press in their fascination with oak and extraction completely misunderstood the excellence of his defiantly traditional wines. We saw them for what they are, not just great Barolo, but some of the truly great wines of the world.
Bartolo himself introduced me to Barolo when we met in 1985. We tasted the then current release in my store. I thought that the wine needed serious cellar time. Bartolo, pleased, said “at least you know that”. He brought a bottle of his barely just mature 1967 to lunch the next day. It changed my life. I immediately gave up Romanee Conti Burgundies for great Barolo and Barbaresco.
As Eric Asimov noted in that Times obituary, Bartolo’s daughter Maria Theresa Mascarello follows closely in the footsteps of her iconic father. Her Barolos are superb.
The 2004 Bartolo Mascarello Barolo has just arrived. It continues to be a proprietary blend of four prestigious vineyards. Maria Theresa continues to farm the grapes and make the wines according to centuries old tradition. This is a truly great wine that needs time to mature.

2004 Bartolo Mascarello Barolo: Transparent pure ruby. Enticing primary aromas of rose and violet, black cherry and spice. Medium bodied fruit and spice flavors with an exotic, ethereal texture and very long finish. A wine of great finesse. Drink 2019 to 2050 Excellent

Len adds
Peter introduced me to Bartolo Mascarello wines when he joined the store six years ago. With him I tasted young, powerfully tannic Barolos from the fine vintages of the late 90s. They were impressive, but difficult to judge.
Then two years ago I was a dinner guest at Ernst Loosen’s home in Bernkastel when another guest, a chef of some repute from Rome, served dinner accompanied by wines with labels hidden that he had brought with him from Italy.
One stood out from first inhalation to the last aftertaste, not because it was flashy or enticing. Quite the opposite, it was understated, but with exquisite poise and balance and an almost zen-like purity.
Revealed, it was a 1990 Bartolo Mascarello Barolo. In two years since, the only wine that has come close to it in poise and style was a Chave Hemitage, coincidentally from 1990. But the Barolo had more expression.

2004 Bartolo Mascarello Barolo 119/bottle net

This Offer Only:

Special six pack: 6 bottles of the above for a special price of : $650

Special case: 12 bottles of the above for a special price of: $1250