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For many Barolo enthusiasts the inimitable wines of the old master, Bartolo Mascarello represent the pinnacle, or Holy Grail.

For many years Bartolo fought a vociferous and lonely campaign against the insidious creep of Moderniity, which he say as mediocrity and no better than a sell-out to globalized tastes.

By the time of his death in 2005, at the youthful age of 78, he was no longer alone as the tide of opinion swelled behind him. In the last 5-10 years that tide has become a torrent as the fashion police demand 'Tradition' above all else. No other producer can match the history of resistance and unimpeachable credibility of Bartolo Mascarello in this regard. His wines carry more than a memory, they evoke a sense of devotion to the ideal. These wines are far more than just the liquid in the glass.

As ever with our old Barolo offers, we bring you wines from well preserved Italian cellars in impeccable condition and have selected only the best vintages.

The wines are due to arrive in April or May by refrigerated seafreight.

Bartolo Mascarello Barolo 1967
3 bottles available, $595 per bottle
95 points View From the Cellar: "As I noted in my article on Bartolo Mascarello back in October 2007, I was down to my last bottle in my cellar of the beautiful 1967 Barolo from this legendary producer, and it was inevitable that it would not last too, too long in my collection. Happily, this last bottle was the best of five really splendid examples I drank over the last decade, as the wine offers up a pure and utterly brilliant aromatic constellation of cherries, anise, orange zest, fresh herb tones, hazelnuts, camphor, a beautifully complex base of soil, gentle notes of road tar and a topnote of violets and roses. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and absolutely at its apogee, with a sappy core of sweet red fruit, brilliant soil inflection, moderate tannins, bright, tangy acids and stunning length and grip on the perfectly balanced and magically complex finish. It is like saying goodbye to an old friend drinking this last bottle of the ’67 Bartolo, but they all went to a very good cause! (Drink between 2012-2025)."

Bartolo Mascarello Barolo 1969
2 bottles available, $520 per bottle

Bartolo Mascarello Barolo 1970
1 bottle available, $595 per bottle
92+ points View From the Cellar: "It is funny, given how much I love the wines from Bartolo Mascarello, that I had never previously tasted the 1970 until I was served this wine double blind by a friend here in New York a few years ago. It is a beautifully mature and classic vintage for the Maestro, offering up a pure and complex bouquet of cherries, gamebirds, fresh oregano, gentle road tar, forest floor, a dollop of black licorice and a topnote of dried roses. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and still quite structured for a 1970, with a fine core, tangy acids, still a fair bit of ripe tannin to carry it forward and lovely focus, length and grip on the well-balanced and very classy finish. This wine may well still be climbing in quality and not yet into its apogee! (Drink between 2012-2035)."

Bartolo Mascarello Barolo 1971
2 bottles available, $725 per bottle
96 points Vinous: "The 1971 Barolo is a real thrill to taste and drink. Let me emphasize that second point. So often, wines like this are tasted among many other wines. On this night the two of us savor every last drop of the 1971. I have had very mixed results with the 1971, to the point I stopped seeking it out. In the 1970s (and later) Barolo was bottled only when it was sold, so it is very likely, if not probable, that the 1971 was bottled botte by botte over a period of years, which naturally leads to a certain amount of bottle variation. On this night, the 1971 is positively stellar. Deep, complex and potent, the 1971 captures all the richness of the year in its multi-faceted personality. More importantly, this bottle does not have any of the barnyard aromas and flavors that are unfortunately common in the Mascarello 1971. Simply put, this is what Barolo from the 1970s is all about. Readers who own pristine bottles can look forward to another two decades of exceptional drinking if storage is perfect. (Drink between 2018-2038)."

96 points View From the Cellar: "The 1971 vintage from Bartolo Mascarello is one of the finest wines that he produced over his very long and illustrious career, but this is also one of the great examples of the vintage that I would let sleep in the cellar for at least a handful more years, as the wine is still climbing in quality and clearly not yet at its peak. The bouquet is pure and beautifully expressive today, wafting from the glass in a complex mix of red and black cherries, camphor, roasted squab, a very refined base of soil tones, a touch of anise and a topnote of hazelnut. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, complex and still fairly structured, with a rock solid core of fruit, excellent soil signature, tangy acids and excellent focus and grip on the very long and still moderately tannic finish. This is hardly difficult to drink today, but it is going to be better still with further bottle age! (Drink between 2018-2055)."

Bartolo Mascarello Barolo 1974
5 bottles available, $655 per bottle

Bartolo Mascarello Barolo 1978
2 bottles available, $855 per bottle
95 points View From the Cellar: "The 1978 vintage from Bartolo Mascarello is a slightly bigger and more robust wine than the 1982 and 1985 versions, and like the 1982, this is just starting to reach its prime. The bouquet is superb, offering up a fine aromatic constellation of black cherries, roasted venison, road tar, forest floor, fresh herb tones, dried roses and a topnote of bonfires. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and fairly muscular in style, with a fine core, excellent backend mineral drive, modest tannins and a very long, complex finish that closes with outstanding grip and bounce. This too is only going to get better over the next couple of decades, but it is already pretty hard to keep one’s hands off of the bottles in the cellar!"

94 points Vinous: "1978 is of course one of the all-time great vintages in Piedmont. A spring hailstorm caused an irregular flowering and lowered yields, nature’s version of a green harvest. The summer was cool up until the final month of the season, which saw very hot temperatures. The grapes were thick-skinned but ripe, and yielded massively structured wines, the best of which are still youthful to this day. We were fortunate to drink two of the finest wines of that historic harvest. The 1978 Cantina (Bartolo) Mascarello Barolo came across as softer and more generous in its sweet, perfumed fruit, which makes sense given that Mascarello’s vineyards are in Barolo and La Morra, where the wines mature faster."

Extremely Rare!

Bartolo Mascarello Barolo Cannubi Riserva 1954

1 bottle available, $825 per bottle

Bartolo Mascarello Barolo Cannubi Riserva 1982
1 bottle available, $695 per bottle

COURTIER | 510 926 6565
2266 Central Street #3A
Richmond, CA 94801
courtier@courtierwines.com
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Courtier · 2266 Central St · 3A · Richmond, CA 94801 · USA