2012 Barolo, Bartolo Mascarello, Piedmont, Italy

Palish ruby with orange tinges. Sweet fruit with a savoury edge. Elegant palate weight and supple fruit. The finish is a tiny bit austere but matches the fruit beautifully. 

Drink 2018 - 2032

The Bartolo Mascarello 2012 Barolo is a beautiful wine endowed with deep purity and clarity. What else should you expect from the producer whose name is forever linked to the definition of traditional Barolo? The wine is vibrant and elegant, with an evident sense of inner grace that translates to both the nose and the mouthfeel. The silky and polished wine reveals delicate tones of wild rose, forest berry, liquorice, dried ginger and cola. Maria Teresa Mascarello used the word “fragile” to describe this vintage, and I think it is a poetically appropriate term for this wine.

Drink 2018 - 2035

A truly traditional Barolo. Grapes from Cannubi, San Lorenzo, Ruè and Rocche dell'Annunziata are co-fermented then aged in large Slavonian oak casks for 30 months. In 2012 the Ruè vineyard was hit by hail, reducing production usually 15,000-20,000 bottles) by 20%. Exquisite aromas of anise, precise strawberry, raspberry and rose reveal themselves one by one. In the mouth, delicate flavours are framed by assertive tannins, with an exotic mix of spice lingering on the finish.

Drink 2018 - 2032

We start with the 2012 Barolo from Bartolo Mascarello, which is everything I expected. Perfumed, gracious and utterly sublime, the 2012 is all nuance. After two weeks of tasting embryonic six-month-old Bordeaux, it is a real treat to taste and drink. It is also absolutely gorgeous, with some of the first courses on the menu being lighter. I can see the bewildered faces of my guests, all of them native or adopted Bordeaux locals. “How can a wine be so light yet deliver so much depth and persistence?” That, in a nutshell, is what Nebbiolo is all about.

Drink 2020 - 2037

Incredibly open and complex with cedar, dried roses, plums and strawberries. Some toffee, too. Medium to full body, with fabulously polished tannins that give a fine, creamy texture, yet driven and energetic. I love the finish.

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