Ratings & Tasting Notes:
98 points James Suckling
Review Date: 12/2018
An opulent Barolo with lots of dried berry, plum, caramel and hints of milk chocolate. Full-bodied, tannic and creamy textured. So long and intense. So beautiful.
98 points Kerin O’Keefe
Review Date: 07/2018
Fragrant and loaded with finesse, this stunning red showcases Barolo’s elegant side. It opens with enticing scents of rose, violet, perfumed berry and menthol while the radiant palate delivers red cherry, cranberry, star anise and baking spice. It’s impeccably balanced, with taut silky tannins and bright acidity that lend compelling tension. Absolutely gorgeous!
98 points Vinous
Review Date: 07/2023
The 2013 Barolo (magnum) is, in my estimation, one of the wines of the evening. Deep, powerful and brooding, the 2013 offers up a kaleidoscope of aromas, flavors and textures that do not let up. Plum, rose petal, kirsch, lavender and spice lend an exotic flair throughout. Magnificent. (AG)
96 points Wine Advocate
Review Date: 06/2017
Bartolo Mascarello’s 2013 Barolo is made with the estate’s traditional blend of vineyard sites. This includes the San Lorenzo cru that will go offline starting with the 2015 vintage. This is a classic and traditional interpretation of Nebbiolo with an absolutely pristine and polished flavor profile. The bouquet opens to pressed violet, cassis, licorice, wild sage and cola. There is an elegant mineral imprint as well with rusty iron and iodine. This edition is evermore solid and centered compared to the warmer 2012 vintage. It will also require extra bottle aging in order to bring out its natural, but nuanced intensity. (ML)
Cult Wines International Notes:
Cantina Bartolo Mascarello stands as a premier bastion of Barolo traditionalism, defined by a philosophy that famously decries the use of small oak barriques and the modern trend of single-vineyard bottlings. Founded in 1918 by Giulio Mascarello, the estate gained international legendary status under his son, Bartolo, who joined the winery in 1945 and became a vocal defender of “old-school” winemaking until his passing in 2005. Today, Bartolo’s daughter, Maria Teresa Mascarello, continues this legacy with an iron grip on quality and tradition. The winery’s hallmark is its refusal to separate its prestigious holdings; instead, fruit from the historic crus of Cannubi, San Lorenzo, and Rué in Barolo, along with Rocche dell’Annunziata in La Morra, are co-fermented in old concrete tanks. This process, followed by lengthy macerations and years of aging in large, neutral Slavonian oak botti, results in a single, definitive Barolo that seeks to express the harmony of the region rather than the specificity of a single site.
The 2013 vintage in Piedmont is widely celebrated as a “classicist’s dream,” marked by a long, cool growing season that favored the late-ripening Nebbiolo grape. A wet and challenging spring delayed budburst and required vigilant vineyard management to prevent disease, but the season was saved by a temperate summer and a glorious “Indian summer” in September and October. The significant diurnal temperature shifts during the final weeks of ripening allowed for the development of exceptional aromatics and the full maturation of tannins without excessive sugar accumulation. For Bartolo Mascarello, the 2013 Barolo is a masterpiece of finesse and structural integrity. Because the skins were noted as being particularly fragile this year, Maria Teresa opted for a slightly shorter fermentation to preserve the wine’s crystalline purity. The result is a vibrant, deeply nuanced Barolo that offers a kaleidoscope of dark cherry, rose petal, and licorice, backed by the chiseled tannins and fresh acidity that define this legendary, age-worthy vintage.
Bottle Size:
750 mL
Storage History:
Always stored on its side in a climate-controlled cellar.
Condition:
Please note: The bottle shown is the exact bottle being sold.
Outstanding condition.
