2007 Barolo Monprivato

A landmark wine, the 2009 Barolo Monprivato does not disappoint. The wine shows a medium garnet color and offers a full bouquet of red rose, pressed flowers, wild berries, spice, tar and licorice. Some distant white truffle also makes a subtle appearance at the back. The mouthfeel is absolutely polished and clean with silky tannins, balanced acidity and firm textural support. This is a lovely edition of Barolo Monprivato to store in your cellars ten years or more. (ML)

Compelling early perfume of strawberry, black cherry, licorice and brown spices. Silky and seamless on entry, then perfumed and light on its feet in the middle, with captivating complexity to the flavors of sweet red berries, earth and minerals. Harmonious acidity gives shape to the middle palate and extends the flavors through the long, subtle, vibrant finish. This very young wine is evolving slowly and probably needs seven or eight years to shine, and yet the tannins are quite suave today. (ST) 92+

Medium red. Subtle, reticent, very pure nose offers perfumed scents of wild red cherry, rose petal and wild herbs; the most refined of Mascarello's 2007 Barolos. Wonderfully silky and fine-grained on the palate, but with terrific calcaire precision and lift. The wine's highly aromatic red cherry and floral flavors saturate the palate without leaving any impression of weight. This vintage of Monprivato includes about 4% each lampia and rose; the rest is michet, including the juice that normally goes into Mascarello's limited Ca d'Morrisio bottling. The very long finish features harmonious acidity and firm but suave tannins that reach the front teeth. A beauty.