| Score: |
97 JG.
"The Rare Wine Company’s Bartolo Mascarello tasting was the first opportunity I had had to cross paths with the 1971, and my high expectations of the wine were certainly met in this classic. 1971 was very likely the first vintage that Bartolo Mascarello really made on his own, as his father Giulio was beginning to wind down his full-time participation in the winery a bit by this time. The nose on the 1971 is borderline perfect, as it offers up a splendid mélange of sappy red and black cherries, tar, anise, herb tones, sous bois, camphor, floral scents and a bit of charred wood. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, deep and impeccably balanced, with a rock solid core of sweet fruit, tremendous drive of soil, and stunning length and grip on the tangy, tertiary and classically tarry finish. The 1971 Bartolo is a profound bottle of Barolo at its absolute apogee, and is drinking so beautifully as to serve as an inspirational example for allowing the great younger vintages of the 1980s their requisite time in the cellar. It has decades of life still ahead of it." View From the Cellar, Sep/Oct 2010, Issue #29 |