2017 Barolo, Bartolo Mascarello, Piedmont, Italy (Artist Label)

‘We didn’t do any [prolonged] maceration; we racked off after three weeks on the skins, which was the time it took for the alcoholic fermentation to end, and not the 45 days we normally do.’ Fermentation occurred in two 50-hl vats and concrete tanks without temperature control. ‘When it is as hot as in 2017, we harvest only in the morning or leave the grapes overnight under the portico outside to let them cool off. But you can only do this if the grapes are perfectly healthy.’

Palish ruby. Subdued, subtle, fragrant and savoury nose. With aeration increasingly complex and deep. Dark, stalky/spicy notes. Compact and still firmly curled up, but with great fruit focus. A frightening amount of tannins reveal themselves on the finish but are matched by great depth of fruit. Not to be approached right now. This will be slumbering for quite a while before it will show its wonders.

Drink 2025 - 2038

The 2017 Barolo is gracious, perfumed and very nicely lifted. An effusive, floral bouquet opens first, followed by a rush of red berry fruit. Nervous, a bit wiry at this stage, the 2017 will need at least a few years to open fully, but all the elements are in place to allow that to happen. Maria Teresa Mascarello’s Barolo is one of the year’s most elegant and restrained wines. It’s not an immediately impressive or captivating wine at this stage. The purity of the flavours is just striking, however. Give it a few years to blossom.

Drink 2025 - 2042

Released in September 2021.

In 2015, Maria-Teresa Mascarello uprooted the estate’s San Lorenzo vines, which no longer feature in this impressive blend. The 2017, as with the exceptional 2016, instead includes grapes from Monrobiolo di Bussia. Harvest was completed on 23 September, more or less two weeks earlier than average.

The maceration in the winery was reduced from 40-50 days to 20. Subdued rose and tar notes are joined by a leafy lightness, then a crystalline definition of red berries in aroma and flavour. Velvety tannins and assertive acidity hold the wine in tension and balance, powered by orange savouriness. It’s more delicate and less extracted than 2016 but has similar ageing potential.

Drink 2021 - 2040

Showing a light ruby shine that radiates from the glass, the Bartolo Mascarello 2017 Barolo proves once again that elegance can be achieved, despite the many challenges of an extreme vintage, when worked with the right hands. In this case, the hands are those of Bartolo's daughter, the legendary Maria Teresa Mascarello. This celebrated Barolo boasts a silky sheen and glossy character that transcends bouquet and mouthfeel.

Wild cherry, lilac, iron ore and candied orange peel are revealed softly on the bouquet. The wine takes a few minutes to open before all those pretty little details come into view. Acidity is an important component of this graceful Barolo, as it ties together the fruit and heightens that sense of electricity and liveliness. This is a collectors' bottle to keep safely in your cellar.

Drink 2025 - 2050