1979 Barolo Monprivato

This incredible tasting of Barolos from Giuseppe Mascarello - originally conceived as a survey of the Michet clone of Nebbiolo - spanned five decades going back to 1967, and included a number of benchmark wines such as the 1970, 1982, 1985, 1989 and 1990 Monprivatos plus a complete vertical of the estate's Barolo Riserva Monprivato Cà d'Morissio. Virtually all of the older vintages were shipped over from the estate, which made this afternoon quite special, as provenance was unparalleled. Proprietor Mauro Mascarello and his son Giuseppe were on hand to lend their commentary to a group of Barolo aficionados that included sommeliers from a number of New York City's very finest restaurants. Mascarello's Barolo Monprivato remains largely an insider's wine. Oddly, that wasn't always the case. Twenty years ago, Monprivato was widely considered one of Piedmont's most prestigious Barolos, and commanded a price to match. In the mid-1980s and early 1990s the modernist movement began to sweep through Barolo, bringing with it considerable attention to a group of passionate young producers who challenged many of the long-standing assumptions on how Barolo should be made, both in the vineyard and in the cellar. The modern-style Barolos were exuberant, flashy wines that attracted a new generation of wine lovers and in so doing created more buzz and sheer excitement than Piedmont had ever experienced. Sadly, the accolades these Barolos received came at great expense to the wines of more traditional producers rather than being viewed simply as different and equally valid expressions of the multi-faceted Nebbiolo grape. Barolo (and Barbaresco, too) was in the midst of nothing less than a revolution. To be sure, some of the traditionally-minded wineries needed a wake-up call; their yields were too high, the barrels often dirty and the cellars unkempt, all of which were reflected in wines of uneven quality. A handful of estates though, including Mascarello, lost an enormous amount of visibility despite boasting a decades-long track record of exceptional wines. Today, modern and traditional styles have largely converged as producers learned to take the best from both approaches. Along the way Mauro Mascarello continued to make noteworthy Barolos in a rigorously traditional fashion and, as a result, Piedmont fans are rediscovering this once-neglected property. Even though the Mascarello winery went through a period of obscurity, I always find it fascinating that the current generation of younger producers often speaks with great respect and reverence about Giuseppe Mascarello, the man and winemaker. Pricing has moved slightly over the years such that until very recently Monprivato was arguably the most undervalued Barolo among the region's cellar worthy, iconic wines. I have long been a fan of Mascarello's 1970 Barolo Monprivato. It is one of the greatest wines ever made…in any region. I was completely blown away when I first tasted the wine a number of years ago. Still youthful at nearly 40 years of age, it remains a true monument to the glories of Piedmont and Nebbiolo. As it turns out the 1970 Barolo Monprivato was the genesis of this tasting because it represents an inflection point in the history of the Mascarello winery. The first Barolo Mauro Mascarello made at his family's winery was the 1967, another wine that is legendary. Mascarello crafted the 1967 Barolo just as his father had done before him, blending fruit sourced from three vineyards; Monprivato, Villero and Bussia Soprana. The conventional wisdom at the time held that the most complete and complex Barolos were those that combined elements from various sites. Some vineyards were known for their aromatics, others for their fruit and yet other plots were highly regarded for the structural elements they imparted on the wines. But Mascarello yearned for something more. He wanted to make a single-vineyard Barolo, and he thought his Monprivato vineyard was that rare site that could express all of the facets of Nebbiolo on its own. It took a few years of convincing, but Giuseppe Mascarello finally relented and let his son Mauro make a single-vineyard Barolo in 1970. He also gave Mauro a very valuable piece of advice in directing him to the very best fruit in the Monprivato vineyard. If Mauro was hell-bent on making this wine, Mascarello senior reasoned, he might as well use the parcel in the heart of the vineyard planted with the rare Michet clone, which was known to yield wines of extraordinary power, richness and longevity.

Michet, believed by some observers to be a diseased strain of the more common Lampia clone, is naturally low-yielding and late to ripen, because of the genetic mutations it carries. Mauro Mascarello's grandfather, Maurizio, planted the first Michet clones in his Monprivato vineyard in 1922. A second parcel of Michet was planted by Giuseppe Mascarello in 1963 using the best-performing plants from the original plot, a process known as selezione massale. Mauro Mascarello himself planted the third and fourth selections later, in 1988 and 1994 respectively. Neither Mascarello could have ever predicted how successful Mauro would be. The 1970 Barolo Monprivato turned out to be the archetype for two wines; the modern-day single-vineyard Barolo Monprivato as well as the 100% Michet Barolo Monprivato Riserva Cà d'Morissio, a wine Mascarello finally produced in 1993 after 23 years of research that in reality dates back to vines his grandfather first planted more than 70 years before. For reasons that aren't entirely clear, after 1970 the Michet-only Monprivato was not made again until 1993. This tasting covered all of the Michet Monprivatos plus a number of other reference-point Barolos, just to round out the line-up. Today, Mascarello typically harvests his Nebbiolo in the second half of October. Fermentation and maceration are carried out with indigenous yeasts and last about three weeks. The wines are aged in cask for roughly three and half years (for the Monprivato) to four and half years (for the Cà d'Morissio). Mascarello only makes the Cà d'Morissio when he feels the wine is sufficiently different from his Monprivato to warrant a separate selection, a decision he typically takes just prior to preparing the wines for bottling. So far five vintages of Cà d'Morissio have been released; 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997 and 2001. The 2003 will be released in 2010, followed by the 2004. There will be no 2005 Cà d'Morissio.

In May of this year I attended two very special tastings at Cru in New York. Winemakers Roberto Conterno and Mauro Mascarello were in town to present extensive verticals of their Barolos. The first tasting took place in the afternoon and featured current releases as well as a few older vintages. Although I generally avoid trade events because they don't allow enough time to accurately assess each wine, this sit-down tasting, which was hosted by importer Doug Polaner, was extremely well organized. Cru Wine Director Robert Bohr and his staff did an outstanding job in coordinating the service of the wines, which was no small feat. Between the afternoon tasting and the dinner that followed, I don't think I have ever tasted so many profound and emotionally moving wines in a single day! The wines were double decanted a few hours prior to serving.

Mauro Mascarello led the group though several flights of his most famous wine, Monprivato, as well as his newer Riserva bottling, Ca' d' Morissio. The Giuseppe Mascarello winery boasts a rich lineage that goes back to 1881 when Giuseppe Mascarello purchased his first plot of land in Monforte. His son Maurizio purchased vineyards in Monprivato in 1904 that remain the core of the family's holdings.

After having spent many years working at the estate with his father, Giuseppe II, Mauro Mascarello made his first wines in 1967. In 1970 Mauro began to vinify the grapes from his various vineyards separately. Although Mascarello defines the decade between 1968 and 1977 as one in which he experimented with various vinification techniques, today the wines are made in a very traditional manner. “There aren't many of us traditionalists left,” jokes Mascarello. Mauro has recently been joined in the winery by his son Giuseppe, ensuring that this estate's heritage will continue into the future.

The Monprivato vineyard, located in Castiglione Falletto, is one of the great sites in Piedmont. The Mascarello family has owned their plots, which measure just over six hectares, for over 100 years. Within Monprivato there had always been a special parcel from which Mascarello hoped to produce a riserva. In the mid-1980s Mascarello began a quest that would take him over four years to identify the best and most suitable clones of the Michet varietal to plant in the vineyard. The parcel was finally re-planted in 1988 and Mascarello named the new wine Ca' d'Morissio (house of Maurizio) in honor of his grandfather.

Both wines are traditionally made and see a long fermentation lasting between 18-25 days, depending on the vintage, and extended aging in Slavonian oak casks of about 36 months for the Monprivato and at least an additional 12 months for the Ca' d'Morissio.

The first vintage for Ca' d'Morissio was 1993, although just a few bottles were made, while full production began in 1995. Mascarello releases this wine only when he believes there is a noticeable difference in quality between Monprivato and Ca' d'Morissio. Other recent vintages include 1997 and the as yet unreleased 1996. There is no Ca' d'Morissio for vintages 1998-2000, although there is a 2001.