Giacomo Conterno Barolo Riserva Monfortino DOCG
€ 1.512,50 NO VAT (private collection)
Elio Altare Barolo Unoperuno DOCG
€ 306,00 NO VAT (private collection)
€ 315,00 NO VAT (private collection)
The 2018 Barolo is a wine of extreme elegance and nuance. Dried red cherry, tobacco, dried flowers, mint and sweet spice are all nicely lifted in this sublime, delicate Barolo. All the elements fall into place so effortlessly. The 2018 naturally does not have the body of more important years, but it offers tons of persistence and fine balance. It has closed down quite a bit since I first tasted it a few months ago, which is probably a good sign. An opened bottle just got better and better over time.
2 in stock
Maria Teresa Mascarello’s 2021 Barolo is a quintessential wine for the vintage in its pliant fruit and understated depth. Harvest took place between the first and second week of October. The 2021 saw 48 days on the skins with submerged cap maceration before being racked into cask in November. Mascarello’s entry-level wines are equally inviting, although small production makes them hard to find and pricier in the market than they really should be.
| Vintage | 2018 |
|---|---|
| Begin consume | 2025 |
| End Consume | 2039 |
| Size | 750ml |
| Color | Red |
| Variety | Nebbiolo |
| Closure | Cork |
| Alcohol % vol. | 13 to 14% |
| Category | Dry |
| Producer | Bartolo Mascarello |
| Designation | Unknown |
| Vineyard | Unknown |
| Country | Italy |
| Region | Piedmont |
| Sub-Region | Langhe |
| Appellation | Barolo |
| Typification | Private (Wine from a private collection – invoice without VAT) |
| SKU | 4166767 |
| Categories | Private, Red Wine |
The 2015 Barolo Riserva Monfortino is magical. This is the first vintage that includes fruit from Arione, so the 2015 is 80% Francia and 20% Arione. That marks a return to Monfortino as a multi-vineyard wine, which it mostly was until 1978, when the first Monfortino from Francia was made. The combination of sites works so well. I remember tasting the 2015 as separate components and seeing what exactly the Arione piece adds, and that is aromatic explosiveness, texture and breadth. Rose petal, mint, sage, tobacco and cedar lend complexity. More than anything else, though, I am blown away by how utterly delicious the 2015 is. Of course, the 2015 will be better in time, but its pedigree is plainly evident today. Roberto Conterno gave the 2015 just five years in cask, the shortest time in wood for any Monfortino in recent memory, maybe ever. Like most producers around the world, Conterno is thinking deeply about what the optimal period of time in oak is. As for the 2015, it is a flat-out stunner in every way.
The 2016 Mouton Rothschild bowled me over when I tasted it from barrel. Philippe Dhalluin compares it to the 1986 in terms of intensity of fruit, although there is more maturity and refinement in the tannins apropos of the 2016. Bottled in July 2018, this has an intense bouquet with pixelated black fruit, crushed stone, hints of blue fruit and a touch of India ink. But it is the delineation and focus that take your breath away. The palate is medium-bodied with very supple tannin framing the pure black currant and cassis fruit. The acidity is pitch-perfect, and there is a gentle but insistent grip toward the extraordinarily long finish. Racking my brains to think of another Mouton Rothschild that I have tasted over the last 20 years that was as good as this, I simply cannot come up with one.
The 2016 Sassicaia is one of the most powerful, imposing young Sassicaias I can remember tasting. Explosive and vibrant with stunning depth, the 2016 possesses off-the-charts aromatic intensity, richness and structure, all in a mid-weight style that is so distinctive. Plum, lavender, rose petal, spice and mint all build into the explosive, deep finish in this potent wine.
