2003 Bartolo Mascarello Barolo

Pro Reviews

Vinous Media (VM)

Medium red with an amber edge. Explosive, very expressive aromas of dried cherry, strawberry, mocha, earth, smoke and milk chocolate. Suave, clean and not at all cooked, with a compellingly chewy texture to the sweet, bright flavors of strawberry, truffle and underbrush. Sneaky acidity and dusty tannins give this very long wine a distinctly sappy finish. “Yes, it’s atypically agreeable, but it would be a pity to drink this now,” noted Maria-Teresa, who told me she did a somewhat shorter maceration than usual in 2003 and ultimately bottled just over half of her normal quantity of Barolo-and no magnums.

Wine Advocate (WA)

Maria-Theresa Mascarello has just completed a new tasting room which is strikingly modern in design, especially when compared to the rest of this tiny cellar, which is as traditional as they come. Her 2003 Barolo is an unqualified success and subsequent vintages, led by the 2004, offer much potential. Mascarello’s 2003 Barolo reveals expressive, perfumed, high-toned aromatics along with ripe red cherries, menthol and licorice in an expression of this wine that is unusually rich, while maintaining remarkable freshness for the vintage. This very pretty, medium-bodied Barolo needs a few more years in bottle to settle down. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2019.