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Round and inky, the ’09 Barbera d’Alba from Mascarello embodies all the tradition, care and authenticity that give the estate’s Barolos such a great reputation. Loads of violets, a smattering of roses, ripe frutti di bosco and a touch of earth make this zippy wine a delicious accompaniment to your dinner table. Drinking for the next half decade.
- Country: Italy
- Region: Piemonte
- Sub-Region/Appellation: Barbera d'Alba
A lot has changed in the legendary wine-making region of Piemonte. Over the past two decades a new wave of producers has emerged in the region, revealing different personalities of the majestic nebbiolo grape. And to their credit, the modernists have made Barolo more approachable. However, Barolo is a wine of patience and, like the great wine-making regions of Europe, it possesses an ancient, glorious past that cannot be forgotten. There is a handful of gladiators who continue to protect this past way of life and resist all temptations to bow to commercial pressures. The use of long maceration (capello sommerso) and aging in large old barrels (botti) of local oak and chestnut are perfected, not disregarded. These true artisans are Piemonte’s greatest producers: Giacomo Conterno, Bruno Giacosa, and, most notably, Bartolo Mascarello. This great man who passed away in March, 2005 still has a cult following.
Bartolo Mascarello, the great elder statesman of Barolo, spoke with the same candidness and fervor as the younger Angelo Gaja. However, for Bartolo the passion was for the preservation of Barolo’s historic past, which emphasizes the flavors of the local land rather than wood grown in Limousin, France or roto-fermentors designed Down Under. Until a few years before his death, this gentle man refused even to have a telephone in his office.
Bartolo's daughter, Maria Teresa, makes her wine the same way her father did 50 years ago, through techniques that go back centuries and which were inherited when he was an apprentice under his father, Giulio, one of the true icons of Barolo. Despite his owning vines on the prestigious Cannubi hilltop, Mascarello's wine is not a cru selection; it is a blend from Canubbi, San Lorenzo, Rue, and Rocche. The approach is simple: low yields and ripe fruit from Barolo’s best vines, blended for consistent quality and style. Like his father, he instilled these same values and techniques in the next generation, who now carries on the artisan’s craft and represents the future of Barolo’s Old School.
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