"Built on grace and perfume"
2008 Mascarello Barolo Monprivato:
750s & Magnums
"Mauro Mascarello has handcrafted some of the most elegant, refined and brilliant wines in all of Piemonte..." -John Gilman
The 2008 Monprivato is one of the best young versions of the wine that we've tasted.
What makes Monprivato stand out is its elegance, its clarity of expression and its purity of fruit, earth and flower. Very few producers (the world over, nevermind Piedmont) achieve the finesse Mascarello coaxes from the Nebbiolo of this top site. The 2008 captures this with beautiful clarity.
Today, we're happy to offer a small parcel of Mascarello's 2008 Barolo Monprivato in 750s and magnums at very sharp pricing.
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We did an offering of '08 Monprivato 750s in fall of 2012. When a small parcel recently crossed my desk, I jumped at it. The initial pricing that I've seen for the very limited 2010 Monprivato has convinced me that back-filling with vintages like 2008 is a smart strategy. I'd advise that you do the same. The 2010s are beautiful wines, but they're going to be in short supply and prices will spike.
2008 is a vintage of, above all else, classical proportions and purity. The comparison to 2008 Burgundy is helpful here because Barolos from this vintage share a similar precision and terroir expression.
The vintage really played into Mascarello's hands. As Antonio Galloni notes, Mascarello's "2008s are mid-weight wines built on grace and perfume."
These are exactly the qualities that we find so compelling about Mascarello's wines. For all its gracefulness, 08 Monprivato isn't shy on substance either. Galloni notes the 2008 "possesses serious depth, power and structure."
This gets to the heart of Mascarello's Monprivato in 2008 - it's a focused and fresh wine that still possesses power and resonance. The 2008 Monprivato hits an undeniable sweet spot with a generous dose of vivid fruit and pulverized flowers (roses, violets, etc.) with crystalline purity and mingled with spices and cooling minerals.
Monprivato is a distance runner - it continues to improve for decades after release, especially in large formats like magnum. Over time, it shows its breeding to an even greater extent and gets even more beautifully aromatic and more transparent. It can see its 30th or 40th birthday without any problems.
To order, reply to offers@crushwineco.com or call the store at (212) 980-9463.
Ian McFadden
Director, Fine & Rare Wine
Crush Wine & Spirits
Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media: "Readers will have to be especially patient with the 2008 Barolo Monprivato, a wine that has none of the early appeal of other recent vintages. Still very much closed in on itself, the 2008 possesses serious depth, power and structure, but those elements are suppressed by the recent bottling. Dried rose petals, crushed berries and mint are some of the nuances that flesh out on the powerful, imposing finish. I don't think the 2008 will ever match the 2006 or 2007, but it is going to be fun seeing how close it gets."