June 13, 2006
'01 Barolo: When 84 points is better than 100

A Note from Sergio Mascarello 2001 & More Dolcetto's Classic Expression

Historic Borgogno Barolo Riserva Understanding Cru Barolo Fathers' Day Gift Ideas

Can you believe this? he wrote. They gave Mascarello’s 2001 Barolo 84 points. He attached a review from the nation’s leading wine magazine. Very funky, the review said. Smells like a warm room with two wet dogs in it.

Sure I can believe it, I wrote back. What? Are you surprised?

Mascarello’s 2001 is, in fact, a gorgeous wine, with not a hint of damp puppy to it. Franco theorized that by giving the same score to the Barolo as they had to a $7.00 bottle of ’02 Yellow Tail Chardonnay, the publication was making a personal attack on the Mascarello family, who never gave any credence to the press and often refused to even send samples; on top of that, the magazine had never understood Italian wines. Franco was furious, and rightly so—but I wasn’t. I was thrilled. I called my friend Robert, the US importer of Mascarello. Robert is an unorthodox fellow; he prays that his favorite wines garner low scores, just so he doesn’t have to interact with journalists and label chasers.

“Bobby,” I said. “Congratulations on your 84 points!”

“Thank god for small miracles,” Robert said.

Next, I went to my partner Perry’s office. “Did you hear about the Mascarello score?” I asked.

“I was just about to double our order,” he said.

Finally, I called Maria-Teresa Mascarello, the daughter of the late master Bartolo Mascarello and the estate’s head winemaker. “Maria-Teresa, you made an amazing wine and got a crappy score,” I said. “Congratulazioni.”

“I could not be more relieved,” she said. “My father would be so happy to know that our wines won’t be wasted on the wrong people. Getting these wines into the hands of the right people is the only way to ensure that we’ll be here another 100 years. Those scores mean less than nothing to us, you know?”

Did I ever. When it comes to a truly great wine, sometimes a bad public perception of the drink is the best thing that can happen to someone like me. I learned that the hard way, back in 2000.

It was a cool fall morning, and I had gotten to work early. I was expecting my first shipment of Bartolo Mascarello 1996 Barolo and I was too excited to sit around at home. As soon as I arrived at work, my phone rang.

“Where were you last night?” the vice president of a major wine merchant asked. He and some of the country’s most influential buyers had met for a tasting of 1996 Barolos.

I told him I had another event, but the truth was that I hadn’t needed to try Barolos from the vintage again—I already knew which ones I loved.

“Well, I’ll tell you one thing,” the VP said. “The Mascarello was terrible.”

“Terrible?” I asked.

“Dreadful,” he said. “Like a rosé, and with no fruit. Who makes these wines now anyway?”

I told him that Bartolo Mascarello himself had become wheelchair-bound in recent years. For a time, a man named Alessandro Fantino worked in the cellar. Eventually, however, Bartolo's daughter Maria-Teresa was ready to take over as chief winemaker. Bartolo remained the inspiration and motivation behind the estate, but Maria-Teresa did the physical work.

“Yeah, I thought so,” the VP said. I nodded silently and watched the deliveryman bring the cases into the store. As Perry took the clipboard to sign for the order, I wondered if I had enough time to sprint from my desk and tackle him to the floor before he touched pen to paper. Instead, I sat still. “I heard that these were once great wines,” the VP continued. “But I figured that someone new had started to make them because they’ve really fallen from grace.”

“Well, nice to hear from you,” I said weakly, and put down the phone. For a moment, I was confused. When I had tasted the wines a few months earlier, I had known that they were remarkable. Nebbiolo had thrived that year, and many Barolos—not just Mascarello’s—reminded me of how the 1989 vintage had tasted when I first tried it in 1994. Eighty-nine is now widely recognized as best year from the late ‘70s to the mid-90s, and the ’96 displayed that same restraint, that same complexity and depth. That’s why I’d ordered 50 cases.

Suddenly I forgot my befuddlement and panicked. My fledgling business couldn’t handle this sort of loss. If I was wrong and this guy and his friends were right, I might have to close the shop; I’d be ruined. I began to take long, deep breaths.

“Uh oh,” Perry said, turning around. “What is it?”

I told him about the call; the color drained from his face. Before we could steady ourselves, my friends, a wine writer and a buyer walked into the store.

“Aha!” the buyer said. “I see you got in a bunch of ’96 Mascarello.”

I inhaled and exhaled, inhaled and exhaled.

“I hear they suck,” the writer said. “Open a bottle for us and let’s see.”

We went to the back room and uncorked the bottle. I watched their faces as they took their first sips. Then I took mine.

“Too lean,” said the buyer.

“Too austere,” said the writer.

“Not velvety enough,” said the buyer.

“Not round enough,” said the writer.

“Ungenerous,” said the buyer.

“Lacking in mid-palate,” said the writer.

“Nothing there,” said the buyer.

“You gonna try to return the wines?” the buyer asked.

“We’ll see,” I said.

“So,” Perry said when they left, “what do you think?”

“It’s one of the best glasses of wine I’ve ever had,” I said. It was just as I’d remembered—a rare gem. Like any great wine, it wasn’t fully developed, but I could taste its potential, and it was extraordinary. I realized what had happened: The people who first tasted the vintage were modernists; they craved fruit, jamminess, deep color, readiness. And they had no context; they’d only heard about the excellence of a Mascarello Barolo, but they’d never actually tasted one in its youth. They passed their opinion onto their friends, and their friends came in ready to hate the wine. I ordered another 50 cases.

“I’ll make sure all of my clients lay a case down,” Perry said. “In a few years, we’re going to make so many people happy.”

And we did. As I expected, the ’96 never received much press. What had happened to me on a small scale had happened to the entire vintage. Civilian opinion of the wine was clouded by the preconceptions they’d been handed. The year passed without much ado, and in 2001, when the ‘97s came out, people went nuts.

But after several years, everyone had to recognize that the true splendor lay in the ‘96s. These wines are in it for the long haul, wines that have only just begun to show what they’re capable of. Today, it’s common knowledge that ’96 is a fantastic vintage. I was at a dinner recently, drinking the Mascarello Barolo, when I heard a familiar voice. I turned around to see my friend, the buyer, glass in hand.

“I've always know this Mascarello was killer,” he said. “People didn't get it back then, but man, these ‘96s are smoking!”

This is the story I thought of when I decided to offer this 2001 Mascarello Barolo today. It’s the story I think of whenever I see a deep and beautiful wine flattened by ratings. It used to make me sad, but now I see it as an opportunity to help place these wines with the “right people” of whom Maria-Teresa spoke.

The journalists who rate these wines miss the essence of Italian wines—you can’t judge them with scoring systems, mechanically drinking dozens at once and expecting them to be ready because you want them to be ready. Rather, you have to comprehend how a wine will bloom, how it will unfold into itself. It takes more than a numerical breakdown of mid-palate and fruit to predict that.

Remember the Mascarello ’89 I was comparing to the ’96? It’s widely considered one of the best Barolos ever made. And back when it came out in 1994, the same major magazine sampled it. Like biting into a handful of walnut scraps, they said, with wet earth and menthol overtones to the modest plum and prune flavors struggling to be heard over the noise. Then they gave it a 76.

My best,
Sergio Esposito

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The grapes for this blend are sourced from just five hectares planted in the historic and prestigious Barolo vineyards of Cannubi, Rue, San Lorenzo, and Rocche from La Morra. Only 1,200 cases are produced, of which only a handful make it to the States. The three great protectors of the Barolo tradition who have crafted this wine through the decades—Giulio, Bartolo, and Maria Teresa Mascarello—have never bowed to the French custom of cru (single-vineyard) bottlings, let alone the use of barriques. Little has changed at this estate since 1918, when grandfather Giulio distinguished himself by refusing to sell his precious fruit to a negociant and moving away from the use of demijohns (the standard for the time). The family has always followed the tradition of assembling a single estate Barolo from the best fruit of several different vineyards, which ensures wines of balance and harmony. Under this philosophy, Barolo is a wine of patience and there are no short cuts. Barolo is not the wine of instant gratification that changing palates are demanding. "No Barrique, No Berlusconi" became Bartolo's anthem. This man of unyielding conviction, who inherited his father's passion for both the grape and politics, passed away last year. However, like his father, he instilled these same values and techniques in the next generation: Maria Teresa now carries on the artisan's craft and represents the future of Barolo's Old School. The door is still open at Via Roma 15, and the tradition is very much alive.

Experience the highly anticipated arrival of the 2001 vintage as well as an unprecedented offering of Mascarello's 1964, 1978, 1985, 1989, and 1990 wines from the list below.

Bottles (750ml):
Bartolo Mascarello 2001 Barolo $84.95
Bartolo Mascarello 2000 Barolo $89.00
Bartolo Mascarello 1998 Barolo $75.75
Bartolo Mascarello 1996 Barolo $96.90
Bartolo Mascarello 1990 Barolo $349.00
Bartolo Mascarello 1989 Barolo $349.00*
Bartolo Mascarello 1978 Barolo $549.00*
Bartolo Mascarello 1964 Barolo $549.00*

Magnums (1.5L):
Bartolo Mascarello 2001 Barolo $187.00
Bartolo Mascarello 2000 Barolo $198.00
Bartolo Mascarello 1990 Barolo $725.00
Bartolo Mascarello 1989 Barolo $725.00
Bartolo Mascarello 1988 Barolo $546.77
Bartolo Mascarello 1986 Barolo $690.00
Bartolo Mascarello 1985 Barolo $890.00*
*Indicates future arrivals.
Vintage Mascarello available in limited quantities

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Bartolo Mascarello Dolcetto d'Alba
Though Mascarello's Barolos steal the limelight, the estate's Dolcettos are held to the same exacting production standards and provide excellence in everyday enjoyment. Abundant fruit bathed in kirsch, supported by darker earthy notes. Supporting acidity, strong tannins, and wildberries tumble onto a long, healthy finish.

Bartolo Mascarello 2004 Dolcetto d'Alba $22.00

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Bartolomeo Borgogno founded this estate in 1761, but it is a historic document dated 1848 that attests to its first wine sales to the Royal Army of Racconigi. This document would later help protect the family name when the estate achieved international prestige through its worldwide distribution spearheaded by Cesare Borgogno (widely considered one of the key influences in the history of Barolo). In 1955, the French Institut des Appellations d’Origine took legal action against Borgogno, claiming that the name was unfair competition for the wines of Burgundy (Borgogna in Italian). The document was used as an exhibit to testify to the history of the estate and its importance in Barolo.

As at the Mascarello estate, the approach here has been cuvee bottlings, not cru, despite having prestigious vineyard land in Cannubi, Cannubi Boschis, Brunate, Rue, and Liste; blended wines are the tradition here since the unique nuances of each site come together to make a more harmonious and complete wine. Vinification typically follows the formula of long maceration and extended aging in large casks. All of these components contribute to the estate's reputation for longevity. It is often cited in the wine community that that Borgogno's wines take 30 years to come around, a testament to the estate's winemaking.

The calling card of this traditional estate is its rare stock of vintage Barolo, a practice that predates WWII. The family still implements the unusual corporate policy of putting away stocks of good vintages in bottle and releasing them more than two decades later. It is this practice that has allowed today’s incredible offering. The Borgognos’ philosophy and generosity gives us the opportunity to experience the historic vintages of 1961, 1978, 1982, 1989, and 1990 and to see how Barolo was meant to be experienced.

Borgogno's Historic Barolos:
Borgogno 1990 Barolo Riserva $129.96
Borgogno 1989 Barolo Riserva $139.96
Borgogno 1988 Barolo Riserva $139.96
Borgogno 1985 Barolo Riserva $169.96
Borgogno 1982 Barolo Riserva $169.96
Borgogno 1978 Barolo Riserva $169.96
Borgogno 1974 Barolo Riserva $129.96
Borgogno 1961 Barolo Riserva $160.96
*These wines are sold as future arrivals.

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There are eleven "communes" or villages that make up the Barolo DOCG. However, there are five key zones that contribute 87% of the wine. These are La Morra, Barolo, Castiglione Falletto, Serralunga d'Alba, and Monforte d'Alba. The soil types divide these communes into two zones, the Central Valley to the east with Tortonian soil (which creates more approachable wines with fragrance, softness, and elegance), and the Serralunga Valley to the west on Helvetian soil (which generally gives long-lived, powerful, concentrated wines). For a detailed map, click the image at left (allow a moment for the PDF file to open).

The physical elements of the communes further distinguish them from each other; and within each zone, individual vineyard sites experience distinct microclimates. Until the early 1970s Barolo was generally an optimal blend of grapes from: La Morra (for fragrance and softness); Barolo (for grace and earthiness); Castiglione Falletto (for boldness and richness); Serralunga (for depth and power); and Monforte (for concentration and structure).

Thanks to the refined efforts of Gaja, Ratti, and Ceretto, among others, the approach of single-vineyard designations has since become an ingrained practice for Barolo much as it is for the great wines of Burgundy. Due to the varied soil types and exposures across vineyards there is a lot to discover. Our map (click on the image at left) lists some of the highly regarded vineyards of Barolo by soil type and is also broken down by the "general" characteristics of each commune. This generalization must be used cautiously however, as it is important to note that not all variables are constant and generalizations can oversimplify a complex subject. Individual site altitude and exposure, viticulture and vinification technique, clonal variation, producer style, and vintage conditions can change these characterisitics. Use this map and the sampler below as guidelines. Contact an IWM Portfolio Manager for more information.

Cru Barolo Sampler (for the collector):
Sandrone 2001 Barolo 'Cannubi Boschis' $149.00 (Barolo)
Roberto Voerzio 2000 Barolo 'Cerequio' $205.95 (La Morra)
Scavino 2001 Barolo 'Bric del Fiasc' $79.90 (Castiglione Falletto)
Giacomo Conterno 1999 Barolo Cascina Francia $115.00 (Serralunga)
Pio Cesare 2000 Barolo 'Ornato' $93.00 (Serralunga d'Alba)
Aldo Conterno 2001 Barolo 'Cicala' $89.00 (Monforte d'Alba)

Cru Barolo Six-Pack Sampler (1 of each): $731.85*
*Free delivery in Manhattan

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IWM FATHERS' DAY GIFT IDEAS:
- Gift Baskets
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- Mixed Tasting Cases
- Antique Corkscrews
- Glassware
- Gift Certificates
- Wine Books
- Private Wine Tastings

IWM's Portfolio Managers are available to recommend an appropriate wine or basket or to help you design a customized gift.

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