2022 Barbera d'Alba
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Tasting notes
The 2022 Barbera d'Alba pours a deeper shade of magenta and is pretty, ripe, and inviting, with layered aromas of pressed violets, blackberries, fresh earth, and mocha. The palate is medium to full-bodied, with a ripe yet fresh feel, and retains snappy brightness and crunchy fruit, even in this warm and dry vintage. While the warmth and concentration of the vintage are present, this is a very well-managed and successful Barbera with a lot to enjoy over the coming 10-12 years. The following wines were tasted at the estate, in the town of Barolo. With this release of the Barbera, they included a small portion of purchased fruit, which was necessary while their vineyard was being replanted between 2020 and 2022 due to Flavescence dorée. A phytoplasma disease, it has become a more widespread issue across regions in Italy and France, likely exacerbated by warmer spring and fall temperatures, and there’s no known cure at this time. The 2024 vintage was the first harvest from the new vines and will mark the return to producing Barbera solely from estate-grown fruit.
Critic scores
Average Score
Walter Speller, jancisrobinson.com
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
This wine works very well to extract the character and generosity of a hot vintage. The Bartolo Mascarello 2022 Barbera d'Alba demonstrates how balanced this grape remains in terms of its flavor profile, even as summer temperatures rise. The bouquet reveals sweet blackberry and candied Mon Chéri cherry. The alcohol is up there, touching 15%, but that characteristic Barbera acidity zeros it out. The San Lorenzo Barbera vineyard was ripped out in 2020 and replanted in 2022. Luckily, the baby vines survived the hot summer, Maria Teresa Mascarello tells me, only because she made extra effort to drill the roots deep into the ground. San Lorenzo was harvested for the first time in 2024, meaning fruit was purchased for this vintage. When the 2024 vintage is released, one-third of the fruit will be from San Lorenzo.
Deep, lustrous crimson. Deep and pure with blackberry fruit. Great freshness, like this was harvested on a knife edge. Transparent and fluid and the 15% just adds a touch of viscosity. Super-fine tannins on the finish. (WS)
About the producer
Bartolo Mascarello is one of the most respected, traditionalist Barolo producers. The Piedmont estate makes one of the region’s finest expressions of Nebbiolo.