Barolo Monprivato 2014

The wine in this vintage

2014 was one of the most difficult vintages of recent decades in the Langhe, with a cool, very wet summer and heavy disease pressure; only those who selected their grapes rigorously achieved notable results, and Castiglione Falletto proved one of the luckier communes. Barolo Monprivato 2014 is a pleasant surprise: a delicate, airy wine with small red berries, rose, aromatic herbs, pepper and a citrus note, supported by fine tannins and lively freshness. Wine Enthusiast rated it 97 points. Less structured than the great years, it wins you over with its transparency and balance; it is ready and very enjoyable now, yet can safely be kept for a few more years.

The producer · Giuseppe Mascarello

Giuseppe Mascarello e Figlio, based in Monchiero, is one of the most uncompromising guardians of Barolo tradition. Its story is closely bound to Monprivato, a historic vineyard in Castiglione Falletto that the family acquired in the early twentieth century and has bottled separately as a cru since 1970. Mauro Mascarello, the driving force behind that decision, later selected a Nebbiolo Michet biotype within the vineyard, the source of the Riserva Cà d'Morissio, made only in the finest years. Today his son Giuseppe runs the estate in the same spirit: long, patient fermentations, extended macerations, ageing in large Slavonian oak casks and no concessions to fashion. Alongside Monprivato, the family farms parcels in crus such as Villero and Santo Stefano di Perno. Its Barolos are wines of transparency and finesse, with delicate fruit and silky tannins, able to evolve for decades and treasured by collectors worldwide.

Critics' scores

• 97 Wine Enthusiast
• 93 Wine Spectator
• 17/20 Jancis Robinson

Technical details

Producer

Giuseppe Mascarello

Region

Piemonte

Country

Italia

Type

Rosso

Vintage

2014

When to drink

Hold, still evolving

Critics' average

95/100

Sizes

75 cl, Magnum 150 cl, Case of 6 × 75 cl

eWibe code

0580114