Date of visit: October 14, 2022
About The Producer
The legendary Giuseppe Mascarello estate was founded in 1881 by Giuseppe Mascarello in Monforte d’Alba. However, in 1919 under the direction of Giuseppe’s son, Maurizio, the winery was relocated to Monchiero, a small village located just south of Novello. Maurizio purchased an old 18th century building which was originally used to store and sell natural ice collected from the nearby river. The building featured one meter thick brick walls, which kept temperatures consistent between 12-13 °C. Maurizio immediately recognized that the buildings' insulation could be excellent for storing and producing wine. To this day, the Giuseppe Mascarello estate is located in this same building, and thanks to the building impeccable insulation, no temperature control is needed.
Giuseppe Mascarello is probably best known for Monprivato, a vineyard long known for its incredible potential to cultivate Nebbiolo. Renato Ratti classified Monprivato as a “First Category” site on his famous “Carta del Barolo” in 1976, a title which only 10 other vineyard sites received. At the time, this was the most prestigious recognition a Barolo vineyard could receive, similar to a vineyard being designated as “Grand Cru”. The Mascarello’s have owned vineyards in Monprivato since 1904, and over the years have increased their holdings, which today they have a near monopole of. The vineyard is 15 acres in size (6 hectares), at 919 feet (280 meters) above sea level, with southwest exposure. Giuseppe Mascarello is one of only two producers to producer to bottle a single vineyard Barolo from this site (the other is Sordo). The Mascarello’s have vinified grapes from Monprivato separately since 1970 to produce their famous Barolo Monprivato bottling. In some years, a Barolo Riserva known as “Barolo Riserva Monprivato Ca’ d’Morissio” is also produced from the Monprivato vineyard. Ca’ d’Morissio is made exclusively from the Michet clone of Nebbiolo which has undergone massal selection several times over since 1921. Ca’ d’Morissio is the result of a monumental project which Giuseppe Mascarello embarked on decades ago. To learn more about this extensive project, click the link here.
Our Visit to Giuseppe Mascarello
We arrived at Giuseppe Mascarello’s Monchiero estate on October 14, 2022, and were greeted by Elena Mascarello, who led us into the tasting room and handed us each a Zalto Burgundy glass. We began with 2020 Dolcetto d’Alba Vigna Santo Stefano di Perno. Our tasting notes for this wine and all the wines which we tasted that day are below.
Tasting Notes
2020 Dolcetto d’Alba Vigna Santo Stefano di Perno: Made from Dolcetto grapes grown in the Santo Stefano di Perno vineyard in Perno. A Dolcetto which manages to be both earthy and fruity at the same time. Aromas of raspberries, crushed cherries, tar, crushed stones, smoke, and campfire on the nose. The palate is elegant, with surprisingly smooth tannins for a young Dolcetto, filled with flavors of crushed cherries and pomegranate juice. This wine sees no oak and is aged and vinified in only stainless steel and concrete.
2021 Dolcetto d’Alba Vigna Bricco Mirasole: Made from Dolcetto grapes grown in the Mirasole vineyard in Castiglione Falletto. Aromas of fresh crushed small berries, both red and black, along with some crushed dark fruit. Flavors of dark fruit, black pepper, and crushed cherries, with smooth tannins, along with pleasant acidity and nice balance.
2019 Barbera d’Alba Scudetto: Made from Barbera grapes grown in the Scudetto vineyard in Monforte d’Alba. An earthy Barbera, filled with aromas of resin, truffles and umami like aromas. The palate is juicy with soaring acidity filled with flavors of crushed cherries, pomegranates, and pink peppercorns.
2018 Barolo Villero: Made from Nebbiolo grapes grown in the Villero vineyard in Castiglione Falletto. The nose is filled with aromas of resin, umami, truffles, leather, tar, along with crushed strawberries and raspberries, most of which carries over to the palate along with crushed cherries and peppercorns. The wine is aged in 28HL oak, the newest of which is over 20 years only. Only 2,000 bottles produced.
2018 Barolo Perno Vigna Santo Stefano: Made from Nebbiolo grapes grown in the Santo Stefano vineyard in Perno. Aromas of candied red berries, wet stone, and new leather. The palate is structured and masculine, filled with flavors of crushed cherries and black pepper. Smooth, beautifully integrated tannins and excellent balance.
2018 Barolo Monprivato: Made from Nebbiolo grapes grown in the famous Monprivato vineyard in Castiglione Falletto. Aromas of candied red fruits, umami, and truffle. Flavors of crushed cherries, pomegranates, and candied red berries. Beautifully integrated very fine tannins, along with vibrant acidity. Very elegant, and all about finesse.
2014 Barolo Riserva Monprivato Ca’ d’Morissio: Made from Nebbiolo grapes grown in the famous Monprivatovineyard in Castiglione Falletto. Aromas of tar, roses, iodine, crushed red berries, and a hint of truffle. Flavors of truffle and crushed cherries. Beautifully integrated tannins.
The Cellar
After we finished the tasting, we were joining by Maria Teresa, and we went for a quick tour of their legendary cellar. The Mascarello’s requested that we don’t post any photos of the cellar, so we don’t have any photos to share of this, however, what we can share is a little bit about the cellar itself. The cellar consists of many old Slavonian oak barrels, which vary in age, the oldest of which are 70 years old. One photo which we can share, we’ve posted here, which is an old 131.5 HL barrel, which is no longer in use, and is the largest of any barrel we’ve ever seen. As we walked back toward the tasting room, we passed the stainless steel tanks which Barolo Monprivato ferments in. These tanks were custom-made for the estate to Mauro’s exact specifications, and utilize temperature control. This is the only wine which utilizes temperature control at the estate. The tanks themselves are quite large and very high-tech looking, a stark contrast to the rest of the cellar, which appears to be frozen in time.
Thank You
Thank you, Elena, Maria Teresa, Mauro, and Giuseppe, and the whole team at Cantina Giuseppe Mascarello for sharing your incredible wines with us, and for showing us your legendary estate. We hope to see you again very soon. Grazie mille!
For More information on this legendary producer, be sure to visit their website by clicking here. The United States import for Giuseppe Mascarello, Polaner Selections, also has a ton of great info which can be seen here.
Citations
Barolo and Barbaresco: The King and Queen of Italian Wine by Kerin O’Keefe
www.mascarello1881.com