Date of visit: June 6, 2022
About The Producer
Prior to founding the legendary Cantina Bartolo Mascarello, the Mascarello family sold grapes to the larger wine producing houses in the area during the 19th century. In the early 1900s, Bartolomeo Mascarello embarked on a new adventure, when he began producing Barolo at the “Cantina Sociale di Barolo”. He served as the cellar master at this co-op for several years, before it closed in the 1920s. Bartolomeo’s son, Giulio, learned winemaking from his father, and had dreams of producing wine under his own label. Shortly after he returned home from fighting in World War I, Giulio made the courageous decision to establish a winery of his own. He received a loan from family members, and in 1920 he founded what we believe to be one of the greatest Barolo producing estates in history, Cantina Bartolo Mascarello. During this period, grape growing and commercial wine production were essentially mutually exclusive. Very rarely did grape growers produce wine that wasn’t for personal consumption, and very rarely did wine producers grow grapes. Giulio was a true pioneer, only he and a handful of other legendary grower-producers existed at that time; Cavallotto, Cappellano, and G.B. Burlotto for instance. In addition to being one of the first grower-producers in all of the Langhe, he was also one of the first who was focused on high quality wine production. The Langhe during this time was quite different from how it is today. It was a fairly poor area, and therefore producers were focused on quantity rather than quality. Despite this, Giulio was still able to find customers, who often traveled long distances to purchase his wine. He began with just 2 hectares, but by the 1930s he was able to expand, and purchase additional vineyards located in prime sites; Cannubi, San Lorenzo, and Rué all of which are located in Barolo, as well as Rocche, which is located in La Morra. These new vineyard acquisitions brought Cantina Bartolo Mascarello’s vineyard holdings to a total of 5 hectares, which are the same 5 hectares that they still farm today. Giulio went on to have a son, Bartolo, who he taught how to craft exceptional Barolo, just as Giulio’s father, Bartolomeo, once taught him. Bartolo joined the winery in 1945, where he worked together with Giulio until Giulio passed away in 1981.
During the 1980s and 1990s, there was a great divide in Langhe amongst Barolo producers. There was a new, younger generation of producers emerging, who were fed up with the traditional way of producing Barolo. Some of these producers traveled to Burgundy and other well respected wine regions of the world to study their methods. When they returned, they implemented these new methods, and began producing Barolo in a way the producers of Langhe had never seen before. This created a deal of controversy, and divided producers into two groups, or schools of thought, when it came to producing Barolo. There were those who continued to create Barolo using primarily traditional methods “Traditionalists”, and those using new methods “Modernists”. Both groups held great contempt for one another, and did everything they could to defend their position. Generally speaking, “Modernists” would green harvest, age Barolo in barriques, use rotary fermentors, and generally speaking looked to soften young Barolo. Well known and respected critics at the time adored these wines. “Traditionalists” didn’t employ any of the aforementioned methods, or maybe just green harvested in moderation. They continued to craft Barolo essentially identical to how it had been made for generations. Critics generally scored these wines very poorly. To appeal to the palate of influential critics, many producers during this period, who once produced more classically crafted Barolo, began to make Barolo with “Modernist” methods. Bartolo Mascarello is considered to be one of the few defenders of classically crafted Barolo along with Giuseppe Rinaldi and Teobaldo Cappellano. These three legendary producers fought this battle tirelessly on the front lines, and are affectionately referred to as “The Last of the Mohicans”, amongst Barolo lovers. Bartolo was extremely outspoken, defended his position until the very end, and refused to succumb to these new methods. He had no interest in producing wines to please the palates of some critics. He believed in making Barolo the way that he always had, and the way that his family had for generations. If not for Bartolo’s tenacious efforts, it’s possible that classically crafted Barolo would cease to exist today. It’s important to note that today, it’s no longer acceptable to refer to as a Barolo producer as a “Modernist” or “Traditionalist”. Today, for the most part, producers on both ends of the spectrum get along just fine, and many producers employ both “Modern” and “Traditional” methods.
In the early 2000s, the palate of the general wine consuming public changed, and this new style of Barolo was no longer in demand. Soon the classically crafted Barolo, which influential critics once assigned their poorest scores to, gained the highest levels of praise.
In 1967 Bartolo had a daughter, Maria Teresa, who he’d eventually teach how to make fine wine. Maria Teresa didn’t initially set out to become a winemaker, and instead studied language in college. However, after graduation, something changed, she decided that she wanted to carry out the family’s legacy, and joined the winery in 1993. Shortly thereafter, in the mid 90s, Bartolo became ill. He was no longer able to work in the vineyards, was forced to use a wheelchair, and all responsibilities, including winemaking, passed to Maria Teresa. Being that Bartolo could no longer produce wine, he began hand drawing some of the cantina’s labels. Today, these are referred to as “Artist Labels”, though Maria Teresa will tell you that Bartolo never consider himself to be an artist. These beautiful labels represent an incredible piece of history of the winery, Barolo, and the Langhe as a whole. “Artist Label” wines from Bartolo Mascarello haven’t been produced since Bartolo passed away in 2005. However, Maria Teresa does still produce a portion of their Barolo with reprints/reproductions of the labels Bartolo drew before he passed.
Today, Maria Teresa continues to carry out the legacy that Bartolo left behind. She shares the same winemaking philosophy as her father, and is committed to preserving the area’s biodiversity and history when it comes to wine production. Therefore, in addition to growing Nebbiolo, she also grows and produces Dolcetto, Barbera, and Freisa. Maria Teresa hopes that other producers will do the same, and hopes they’ll stop tearing these vines out to replace them with Nebbiolo, which is more profitable. Maria Teresa still farms the original 5 hectares of land that Giulio purchased in the 1930s, which yields approximately 30,000-35,000 bottles per year. Over the years, demand for Cantina Bartolo Mascarello’s wines has far exceeded supply, and therefore wines are completely sold out before they’ve even been produced. Despite this, Maria Teresa has no plans on expanding. She believes that if they were to expand, she wouldn’t be able to devote a sufficient amount of time to the vines, wines, and receiving visitors. The team at Cantina Bartolo Mascarello is quite small. Maria Teresa, has very few helpers, and because of that she rarely leaves the cantina to promote her wines. She believes, just as Bartolo did, that it’s important for the producer and the customer to meet at the winery, not at some wine tasting event in a big city. She believes, that it’s much easier to fully understand their winemaking philosophy, and their wines as a whole, if people come and see the winery, vineyards, and the Langhe first hand. With that said, Maria Teresa realizes, that visiting the winery in person isn’t always easy, and she’s extremely grateful and appreciative of those who travel hundreds or even thousands of kilometers to visit. Over the years, the cantina has amassed a long list of loyal customers who’ve been visiting yearly for decades.
Maria Teresa’s winemaking philosophy, just like Bartolo’s, is truly a rarity, especially in today’s society, and is admirable. Speaking with Maria Teresa, and seeing the cantina first hand, was truly an incredible experience. At Cantina Bartolo Mascarello, it’s as though time has stood still, in the most beautiful and perfect way possible. The world needs more places like this Cantina Bartolo Mascarello, and more importantly, more people like Maria Teresa.
Our Visit To Cantina Bartolo Mascarello
Cantina Bartolo Mascarello was the second producer we visited during our trip to Piemonte last month. When we arrived, we were greeted by Andrea, who graciously agreed to show us around the winery. He began by showing us around the fermentation room, where everything is done in cement or stainless steel. We then went deeper into the cellar, and saw the oak barrels used for aging. Today, all of the barrels are untoasted Slavonian oak, are sourced from Veneto, and are made by the renowned cooper, Garbellotto. Prior to using Garbellotto’s barrels, the cantina sourced barrels from a local cooper, and they had some chestnut wood barrels as well. However, that was many years ago, and that cooper has been out of business for quite some time. Next, we moved into a part of the cellar where all of the cantina’s older bottles are stored. These bottles date back to their earliest days, and are for personal consumption. In this same room we were fortunate enough to see many of Bartolo’s original, hand drawn, “Artist Label” wines on display, including the famous “No Barrique, No Berlusconi” label. We moved into the tasting room, and began with 2019 Freisa. It was here that Maria Teresa joined us, and told us more incredible stories about the cantina, and their wines.
Our Tasting Notes:
2019 Freisa: Only a handful of Barolo producers still produce wine from this incredible grape, and Cantina Bartolo Mascarello is one of them. Mascarello’s however, is different from most, in that it has a slight fizz to it. It’s not sparkling, but it’s not quite still either, Maria Teresa refers to this style as “vivace”. This is due to the secondary fermentation that the wine undergoes in the bottle. This is the original way of producing Freisa, and to our knowledge, Maria Teresa is the only remaining producer in the Barolo denomination who still produces it this way. Other producers, produce a completely still wine, without secondary fermentation in bottle. It can be quite challenging to produce Freisa using this traditional method, and the wine can be quite fragile. As a result, many people believe these wines don’t travel well, and this may be one of the reasons that Maria Teresa doesn’t export this wine to the United States. Despite these obstacles, we believe that the resulting wine is well worth it. This Freisa is truly unlike any other one that we’ve tried, and may be our favorite. Rustic, earthy, cherries, raspberries and wild herbs on the nose, which carry over to the palate alongside fine, bitter tannins. The pleasant ever so slight fizz, you almost have to search for, completes this wine. A structured Freisa, more so than any other Freisa we’ve tried. While tasting the wine, Maria Teresa and Andrea informed us that one of the many interesting things about this wine is the bottle variation. Due to the secondary fermentation which occurs in the bottle, each bottle of their Freisa will be slightly different, and will have a different amount of fizz. Some are a little more vivace, and some a little less. This will give us something to look forward to next time we taste this wine, which hopefully is very soon.
2017 Barolo: Cantina Bartolo Mascarello only produces one Barolo, just as they always have since day one. The Barolo is made from a blend of Nebbiolo grapes from their different vineyard sites. They believe that blending different vineyard sites creates a Barolo which is more balanced, and therefore they’ve never produced a Barolo from a single cru/vineyard site, and don’t have plans to. They believe that “the best” vineyard won’t create the best wine every year, because every year is different. Grapes from all the different vineyard sites are co-fermented in cement, juice is pumped over twice per day, there’s never any temperature control, and maceration is done via the submerged cap method for 30-50 days in wood. The nose is unbelievably elegant and floral with notes of cherries, raspberries, strawberries, and roses, accented by delicate peppery notes, all of which carries over the palate. This wine is so unbelievably accessible today. Fresh, focused, elegant, and so light on its feet, with impeccable balance. Incredible now, but will surely reward those who wait, as it gains even more complexity in years to come.
Barolo Chinato: This was an unexpected treat. Cantina Bartolo Mascarello produced Barolo Chinato up until Giulio Mascarello passed away in 1981. Around that time, regulations changed, and producers were no longer permitted to produce Barolo Chinato in the same facility as Barolo. As a result, Cantina Bartolo Mascarello, as well as many other producers, stopped producing Barolo Chinato commercially, and instead would only make small quantities for personal consumption. However, in 2016 the laws changed, and producers can now once again produce Barolo Chinato in the same facilities as Barolo. In 2017, after a hiatus of roughly 35 years, Maria Teresa began producing Barolo Chinato commercially for the cantina once again. The Barolo Chinato that we tasted was bottled in 2020, and is a blend of different vintages. On the nose; wet forest, candied cherries, licorice, mint, cacao, pine, chocolate, baking spices, and some tobacco. An unbelievably complex array of aromas. If we sat there a little longer, there’s probably at least another half a dozen aromas that would’ve surfaced. Truly incredible. The palate is viscous, and herbaceous, filled with flavors of cacao, espresso, cinnamon, and baking spices, with a woody/smokiness to it reminiscent of campfire, along with vibrant acidity. Like the traditional Barolo we tasted prior to this, this wine is very approachable, and light on its feet, though we’d love to see how it evolves over the years. What an incredible Barolo Chinato.
To learn more about this incredible producer, we highly recommend reading Kerin O’Keefe’s book, Barolo and Barbaresco: The King and Queen of Italian Wine, and listening to Levi Dalton’s Podcast,Id Drink To That, Episode 379. We’ve found both to be incredible sources of information on this amazing producer, and utilized both sources in writing this blog post.
Thank you
Thank you, Maria Teresa and Andrea, for the amazing visit. We greatly appreciate you spending so much time with us, and sharing your incredible wines with us. Your wines were absolutely extraordinary, and it was amazing for two Barolo-lovers like us to visit your legendary cantina in person. We hope to see you again very soon.
Comments