2017 - Barolo Monprivato, Giuseppe Mascarello e Figlio

This wine is full of surprises. From a hot vintage, the Giuseppe Mascarello 2017 Barolo Monprivato is unexpectedly floral, initially, more than it is fruity. Indeed. it shows hardly any sign of the challenges associated with a very dry summer season. Nebbiolo maintains its balance and freshness with an interlude of wild rose and lilac that moves progressively toward cassis, wild cherry and raspberry. The fruit is framed by savory notes of tobacco, rust and autumnal leaf. An elegant mineral note also appears.

The 2017 Mascarello Barolo Monprivato is a very highly regarded wine from a very special single vineyard site. The texture and weight of the wine is beautiful with a gossamer-like weightless quality. It is very Burgundy-like in its weight and the tannins are extremely fine and elegant. Overall though I found the aromas and flavors a little subdued; there were some attractive strawberry notes but they were slightly muted and less than precise. On the palate the wine seemed to lack some concentration, depth of flavor and vitality in the middle. It is still an incredibly pretty wine, though perhaps not showing its best in this vintage, or on this day.

The 2017 Barolo Monprivato is elegant, classy and nuanced. Crushed red berry fruit, spice and blood orange lend and exotic flair to this silky, mid-weight Barolo. The 2017 loses some of its persistence with air, but it offers tons of immediacy and sheer allure. Best of all, the 2017 will drink well with minimal cellaring. This is one of the better recent vintages of Monprivato the Mascarello family has released.

Castiglione Falletto. Bottled three months ago! Lustrous mid ruby. Concentrated sour cherry with savoury, minerally notes. This opens up beautifully on the nose. Great concentration but also purity. Elegant palate weight and truly long, finely ground tannins that go on forever, but never dominate the fruit while the ripe supple acidity builds a real unity. (WS)