1996 Giuseppe Mascarello e Figlio Barolo Monprivato
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Tasting notes
Classicists will adore the 1996 Barolo Monprivato (magnum). Black cherry, plum, lavender and graphite all soar from the glass. It's drenched in cool-toned savory and mineral notes that convey energy. At nearly 30 years of age, the 1996 remains vibrant and young. This is one of the Barolos I cut my teeth on back in the day. Tasting it always brings back so many memories of my early experiences. The 1996 Barolo Monprivato remains a monument to Nebbiolo.
Critic scores
Robert Parker
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
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When I was a graduate student at MIT, I could buy all the 1996 Monprivato I wanted at Marty's in Allston for $50 a bottle. Sadly, those days are long gone. As for the wine, it remains immortal. Dark, penetrating and beautifully layered, Mauro Mascarello's 1996 Barolo Monprivato captures the truest essence of this vineyard. The Mascarello Monprivato is usually a more delicate, refined wine, but in 1996 it is decidedly virile, as so many wines are. This is a fabulous bottle of one of the reference point wines in 1996. Readers who own it should be absolutely thrilled.
The 1996 Barolo Monprivato shows a darker, more brooding side of Monprivato, with suggestions of tobacco, leather, scorched earth, licorice, iron and cocoa on the nose and tightly wound layers of sweet dark fruit with a big, powerful personality. It is a formidably structured, youthful Barolo that will require at least a few more years for the tannins to integrate. This is one of the least evolved bottles of this wine I have had and I imagine it will still be a compelling wine at age 30. Mauro Mascarello believes 1996 to be the best vintage of the last 50 years. Personally I find the tannins of the 1996 to still be quite hard and prefer the greater finesse of the 2001 and especially the 1999, which marries power with elegance. Both the 2001 and 1999 strike me as more elegant and better balanced wines, but ultimately time will tell. The 1996 is unquestionably an attractive wine that will find its greatest admirers among those who love firmly structured, classic Barolos built to age for decades.
The 1996 Barolo Monprivato is structured and muscular, but not as concentrated or powerful as I expected given this producer's track record. It exhibits a dark plum color with amber at the edge. The smoky, dried herb, cedary, tobacco leaf elements compete with cherries, leather, and licorice. Medium to full-bodied, with a soft attack, and moderate tannin in the finish, this is a very good to excellent Barolo that falls short of being outstanding. Anticipated maturity: 2003-2012. Importer Fred Ek, Ex Cellars Wine Agencies, Solvang, CA; tel. (805) 686-9153