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"The estate of Giuseppe Mascarello e Figlio has a long and illustrious history in Piemonte, and is unequivocally one of the greatest Barolo producers. This traditionally-styled winery is now run by Mauro Mascarello, who is the fourth generation of the family to head the domaine. The estate’s origins date back to the mid-1800s, when Giuseppe Mascarello made a name for himself managing the vineyards of other landowners, and which ultimately culminated in the purchase of his own vineyards and cellars in 1881 in the village of Monforte d’Alba. His son Maurizio Mascarello purchased his own farm and parcel in the great Monprivato vineyard in the neighboring village of Castiglione Falletto in 1904 and moved the family business to this location. Since that day the name of Mascarello and the fabled vineyard of Monprivato have been inextricably linked. Mauro Mascarello is often described as “an enlightened traditionalist” when it comes to his winemaking approach. Throughout the tenure of Maurizio and Mauro Mascarello, the fame of the Monprivato vineyard continued to climb, and today it is universally recognized as one of the greatest vineyards in all of Barolo (it would be a grand cru on par with a Chambertin or a Richebourg if this were Burgundy), with the name of Mascarello always tied to the greatest expressions of Monprivato. The domaine of Giuseppe Mascarello is simply one of the greatest wine producers in the world." Mascarello Barolo Monprivato 1999 "The 1999 Monprivato offers suggestions of flowers, sweet dark red fruit, licorice and minerals with notable weight on the palate, superb persistence and a final lingering note of sweetness on the fresh finish. It is an uncharachteristically rich and full bodied Monprivato at this stage and on this day it was absolutely amazing, dazzling tasters with its complexity, balance and sheer profoundness. As I have written in these pages before, Mascarello did not bottle his Riserva Ca' d'Morissio in 1999 and there can be no doubt that the Monprivato benefits from the added richness of the fruit that might have otherwise gone into the Riserva. Monprivato remains one of the great values in Barolo and this 1999 is another wine that future generations will look back on as one of the vintage's finest. I have been fortunate to taste older vintages of Monprivato on many occasions and this wines aging potential is decades. The 1999 is a must-have wine." THE PIEDMONT REPORT, ANTONIO GALLONI, 95+ POINTS Regular Price: $112.99Sale Price: $90.39 Bottle Size: 750 ml Mascarello Ca' D' Morissio 1996 "The 1996 Barolo Riserva Ca’ d’Morissio, with more classic aromas and flavors, is the perfect foil to the 1997. Boasting a dark ruby hue, it shows a captivating, well-delineated nose that suggests roses, violets and minerals, along with densely packed layers of primary black cherry fruit on a big, structured frame of notable length, with much purity and imposing tannins. Though not especially expressive today, my sense is that this wine is holding back much of its potential and it will be a fascinating effort to follow, although readers will have to be especially patient with this wine. Sadly, within just a few vintages it has become priced in the stratosphere. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2031." Wine Advocate: 95 Regular Price: $349.99Sale Price: $279.99 Bottle Size: 750 ml Mascarello Barolo Monprivato 2003 "The 2003 Barolo Monprivato is made in an atypically big, powerful style loaded with ripe fruit supported by plenty of structure. It boasts an enticing palate presence and a uniquely intense personality. The classic Monprivato notes of ripe cherries, roses, minerals, flowers and herbs are present, but they don’t have the clarity and precision of the finest vintages. In 2003 Mascarello was more severe than normal in his green harvesting of the vineyard as he wanted to lighten the load on his plants to reduce their stress. He was also helped considerably by the compact, moisture-retentive soils. Readers who prefer more classically-styled versions of Monprivato may want to revisit the 1999 and 2001 although Mascarello told me he prefers the 2003 to the 2001. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2023." Wine Advocate: 93 Regular Price: $94.99Sale Price: $75.99 Bottle Size: 750 ml Mascarello Barolo Monprivato 2000 The 2000 Barolo Monprivato, from an historic vineyard of which Mauro Mascarello is the sole owner, is the finest of the group from the 2000 vintage, powerful and focused on the nose, smoky, tarry, and floral, large in scale and depth, and with a lengthy, authoritative finish which brings out the ripeness and fullness of the fruit. Drink: 2005-2015. Wine Advocate: 92 Regular Price: $87.99Sale Price: $70.39 Bottle Size: 750 ml Mascarello Barolo Santo Stefano De Perno 2001 "What a pleasure it is to taste the 2001 Barolo Santo Stefano di Perno, easily the best in recent years. It displays a highly aromatic nose, with notes of roses, raspberries, minerals and menthol, with a feminine, yet structured personality and less of the green note this wine can show, which in the past I have found to be distracting. This bottling can be a bit hard when first opened, but a little air will help to smooth the edges. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2021." Wine Advocate: 93 Regular Price: $59.99Sale Price: $47.99 Bottle Size: 750 ml Mascarello Barolo Santo Stefano De Perno 1999 "The 1999 Barolo Santo Stefano, a dark garnet with a penetrating nose of raisins, chocolate, tobacco, and black cherries, is sweet and jammy on the palate with a licorice/tar finish. It too is tightly knit and will need some time to shed a few tannins." Wine Advocate: 89 Regular Price: $89.99Sale Price: $71.99 Bottle Size: 750 ml