1964 | Bartolo Mascarello | Barolo

Detailed Description

A sappy blend of red and black cherries, woodsmoke, gentle notes of tar, forest floor, orange peel, oregano, a bit of dried red fruit and a topnote of heather.

Producer Information

Bartolo Mascarello (officially known as Cantina Mascarello Bartolo) is a revered wine producer based in the town of Barolo in Piedmont, Italy. The estate was founded in 1918 and brought to prominence by the eponymous Bartolo Mascarello, who died in 2005. It is now run by his daughter Maria-Teresa Mascarello. The estate is particularly known for its traditionally-made Barolo wines. Indeed, much of Bartolo Mascarello’s enduring reputation outside of his wines was forged around his staunch resistance to the so-called “modernisation” of winemaking in the Barolo region. At a time when many fashionable estates were turning to small, French oak barriques and shorter maceration times, Mascarello retained 30 to 50-day maceration and the traditional large-format Slavonian oak tuns, or “botti”. As well as being a vocal opponent of the modern movement in the region, Mascarello also resisted the more recent fashion for single-vineyard releases. He was also known for his opposition to right-wing Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi, making headlines in the early 21st Century by releasing the “No barrique, no Berlusconi” labeled Barolo.