Tasting Notes
JancisRobinson.com 17+
Palish ruby with orange tinges. Sweet fruit with a savoury edge. Elegant palate weight and supple fruit. A tiny bit austere on the finish, but matches the fruit beautifully. (WS)
Anticipated maturity: 2018-2032
Vinous 95
We start with the 2012 Barolo from Bartolo Mascarello, which is everything I expect. Perfumed, gracious and utterly sublime, the 2012 is all nuance. It is a real treat to taste and drink after two weeks of tasting embryonic six-month-old Bordeaux. It is also absolutely gorgeous with some of the lighter first courses on the menu. I can see the bewildered faces of my guests, all them native or adopted Bordeaux locals. “How can a wine be so light and yet deliver so much depth and persistence?” That, in a nutshell is what Nebbiolo is all about.
Anticipated maturity: 2020-2037
Robert Parker 94+
The Bartolo Mascarello 2012 Barolo is a beautiful wine that is endowed by a deep sense of 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. Silky and polished, the wine reveals delicate tones of wild rose, forest berry, licorice, 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.
Anticipated maturity: 2018-2035
