1989 Giuseppe Mascarello, Barolo, Monprivato 1x750ml

Robert Parker 98

The 1989 Barolo Monprivato is staggering in its freshly cut roses, spices and hard candy. The wine possesses a level of inner sweetness and kaleidoscopic, multi-dimensional aromas that give me chills. This remarkably fresh, vibrant and chiseled Barolo continues to develop beautifully in the glass, revealing shade after shade of nuance. Mascarello’s 1989 Barolo Monprivato remains one of the greatest wines ever made – from any region. Although the 1989 Monprivato is almost certain to last beyond my drinking window, it would be a shame to miss it while the fruit is so gorgeous. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2025. I have had the privilege to drink – not just taste – Mascarello’s 1989 and 1990 Barolo Monprivato on several occasions this year, but that notwithstanding I was frankly not at all prepared for the sensational showing of these bottles from proprietor Mauro Mascarello’s cellar. In one of the greatest weeks of my wine-drinking life when I tasted nearly all of the icon wines from the 1989 and 1990 vintages in Piedmont, these two Monprivatos stood out for their sheer profoundness. Mauro Mascarello was among the early proponents of single-vineyard Barolos. His Barolo Monprivato, which boasts an impressive track record dating back to 1971, is one of the finest wines of the traditional school. The Monprivato vineyard, a near-monopole, often yields wines that achieve a brilliant combination of elegance and power matched by few sites in the world. For more on Mascarello readers may want to look at my notes from a recent vertical going back to 1967 posted on www.erobertparker.com [Antonio Galloni, 27/02/2010]

Anticipated maturity: 2010-2025