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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 91.5 pts. and median of 92 pts. in 47 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by RichardP on 10/15/2023 & rated 93 points: Cherry and something earthy on the nose. On the palate, cherry and other red fruit with an herbal note on the long finish, with moderate to strong tannins and good acidity. This was opened along with a bottle of Giuseppe Mascarello's Monprivato from the same year, and this was the better of the two. Given the tannins, this has several good years left, and it may improve. This was an excellent value at about $85 a dozen years ago; at its current price it's not recommended. (716 views) | | | Tasted by The_Cat on 12/30/2022 & rated 95 points: Deep brick red. Still lots of red fruits some roasted notes and flashes of truffle Full bodied with perfectly balanced acidity and lots of mature tannins very long and persistent (1023 views) | | | Tasted by burlingtonm on 5/17/2021 & rated 92 points: A little medicinal on the nose and still a few years away from maturity with violets, leather and fine ripe fruit together with some sweetness on the finish. My first wine tasted from this famous producer who controlled this hot vintage well and it did not disappoint. (2228 views) | | | Tasted by NYC_Maenad on 11/2/2020: There's always some trepidation when opening a 2003 Barolo, but I had a very open mind considering the wine in question. I believe this was double decanted in order to make a 2 hour drive to our place without undue damage, then served around 2 hours after that in Riedel Vinum burgundy stems. Brick red in color, nice and clear and with visible weight. I did get a slight roasted character on the nose, but no raisiny notes, which are what I hate in the most in hot vintage nebbiolo. In the mouth this was remarkably restrained, while still demonstrating warmth and some dried aspects. I got the feeling it was being held in a bit, the vinous equivalent of a corset, maybe, and that the warm vintage aspects may come out more as it ages. Right now, though, it is quite accessible, if still primary, and was more than up to the roast goat with fennel and onion that we threw at it, with its herbaceous notes playing very nicely on the slightly gamey meat, and the acid balancing the crispy skin handily. (2761 views) | | | Tasted by Vinomane on 9/25/2020: Tasted beside G. Conterno Barolo Francia of the same vintage with a group of 7. More open, more elegant, with better color than the other, this was the clear favorite on this night. Has entered its drinking window but NR until next bottle. A very good wine from a very difficult vintage. (2441 views) | | | Tasted by Rich289 on 9/2/2019 & rated 94 points: Very good after 1 hour decant. LIght to medium ruby color. Some sediment. Earth, minerals and subtle fruit. Medium finish. Very good now but should continue to cellar well for another 3 to 5 years. (2929 views) | | | Tasted by Eric Guido on 12/21/2018 & rated 91 points: The nose showed sweetly spiced cherries along with notes of cedar, dried roses, animal musk, stone dust and old leather. On the palate, I found soft textures with zesty red fruits pushed forward by brisk acidity with a bitter herbal twang and saline minerality. It's fruit seemed to go from sweet to sour as the ‘03 Bartolo traveled across the senses, adding an earthy note of sous bois and taking on more of a feminine weight. The finish was medium in length, resonating on minerality with sweet red fruits, a bitter acid twang, and lingering notes of savory herbs.
It’s a wine that shows the heat of the vintage, being a bit advanced and dried out, yet still quite enjoyable today and gains inner sweetness with time in the glass. (3977 views) | | | Tasted by AudunG on 11/10/2018 & rated 91 points: Developed Nebbiolo aromas. Also developed on the palate, with dried ripe fruit. Lacks some elegance and structure, maybe. (2490 views) | | | Tasted by RonniePiemonte on 9/5/2018 & rated 93 points: 2nd bottle in the last month. Ripe vintage is evident. Only 14% alcohol although alcohol permeated the nose.
Smooth rich lovely wine. Not much of a finish but great with food or nothing at all. Violets mushrooms some black pepper (2752 views) | | | Tasted by mjdixon on 7/4/2018 & rated 95 points: Not the best year for Bartolo but still really really good
Opens with classic Barolo nose plus lots of alcohol
After 2 hrs decant, alcohol has burned off leaving powerful yet smooth tannins wrapped in dark fruits
Take small sips and savor the refinement.
One of those wines you can’t drink quick
Love it (2707 views) | | | Tasted by Markus IWC on 3/31/2018 & rated 75 points: Celebrating my 100th Barolo rating with an assaulted icon, totally destroyed by bad storage conditions. Funky nose with brown sugar, figs and hints of vinegar. Of course not what this baby should be like. Second bad wine from same Italian wine shop, the first one (Bruno Giacosa 01) was in even worse condition. Be careful when you order online, provenance is key. Any insights on trustworthy dealers of Italian wine would be highly appreciated. (1070 views) | | | Tasted by markjanes on 1/23/2017 & rated 90 points: similar to last bottle though the wine seemed further along the maturity curve than i would have guessed... (3559 views) | | | Tasted by Drankard on 8/6/2016 & rated 89 points: Drank over the course of 5 hours. Very dark in color. Starts off with voluptuous primary fruit that is round with OK balance. Flavors of dried red fruits, forest floor with an herbal edge. After 3 hours, the wine becomes tart and acidic with little primary fruit showing and drying tannins. (3552 views) | | | Tasted by coremill on 7/26/2016 & rated 92 points: I would never have guessed this as a 2003. Lots of powerful ripe fruit with no roasted qualities that gets redder in tone as it breathes, plenty of tar and flowers, a pleasant whole-cluster quality -- super-typical Barolo. Great freshness and ripe tannins, plenty of acidity that is well integrated with the layered fruit concentration. This doesn't have the mushroom/truffle character of mature Barolo but it's so good now it would be hard to wait for this to come around. (3593 views) | | | Tasted by olemski on 3/22/2015 & rated 93 points: Mature and splendid Barolo. (4898 views) | | | Tasted by AudunG on 3/21/2015 & rated 91 points: Rustique aromas with furniture polish, tar and volatile acidity. Fully mature. A good, old fashioned Barolo. (4179 views) | | | Tasted by Nutty08 on 11/13/2014 & rated 91 points: Two hour decant and followed over 4hrs. Nose was a little shy initially but eventually was showing a nice floral character of dried red fruits with an herbal edge, and a little tar. Repeating notes on the palate, moderate tannins. Finishishing with a tobacco and tar note. Quite fresh for the hot vintage. Approachable now but seems to have some upside with moderate term cellaring. My first B. Mascarello and I was expecting more complexity and nuance--but could have been over shadowed by the challenging vintage. (3736 views) | | | Tasted by Burgundy Al on 10/11/2014 & rated 93 points: Dinner with Friends (Jen and Phil's - Chicago IL): Popped and poured, I was amazed at how open and accessible this wine was tonight. Cross-section or ripe red cherry aromas with good floral support. Ripe red berry and cherry flavors with subtle spice and good earthy elements. Comes across as ripe and forward, but plenty of structure comes through in the middle, providing a real elegance. (4626 views) | | | Tasted by markjanes on 4/14/2014 & rated 92 points: light color, reddish rim... aromatically really pretty and really primary. lots of red cherry (that chambertin like nutty regal kind of cherry), flowers, minerals... no barrique aromas. On the palate a whole lot of acidity, really nice flesh on the palate... lots of very firm and ripe tannins... moderate alcohol. Very well balanced wine (especially considering the vintage), very good length, great intensity, moderate complexity (which is ok at this young age)... tons of finesse, great texture, very good expression of place. Fantastic wine which is very early in its evolution... drinkable now but lots more to come... who knows when it peaks, if you don't have many I'd guess 7-10, will last longer. Insane value because she hasn't been "found" yet and because of vintage. (4154 views) | | | Tasted by ekenneth on 2/23/2014 & rated 93 points: This is a classic traditional barolo, especially considering the heat of the vintage. Red cherries, tabacco leaf, rose pedals. (3304 views) | | | Tasted by cardsandwine on 2/16/2014: Classic traditional barolo. Earthy, chewing with excellent balance and a long elegant finish. (3253 views) | | | Tasted by Venexian on 4/19/2013 & rated 90 points: Naso molto bello, espressivo e delicato, tutto giocato sulla rosa ed il frutto chiaro, fino all'anguria. Sorprendente per un 2003. Bocca invece calda, con tannino spigoloso e leggermente verde. Un po' di alcol e chiude con un finale non lunghissimo ne freschissimo, comunque piacevole. Vino pronto da bere. (3976 views) | | | Tasted by BillBell73 on 1/23/2013: I've got some of this stashed away and hadn't planned on sampling any but I ran across a pretty cheap bottle in a restaurant and decided to check it out - I've heard this was a pretty warm vintage so thought perhaps it would be a little more approachable at this young age. Decanted for about an hour and was just starting to get mildly interesting but this is pretty dang austere. If you're not going to sit on it, decant for a couple of hours at least. (4189 views) | | | Tasted by Riccardo Malocchio on 11/16/2012 & rated 93 points: Wow. Intensely perfumed nose of roses, spice and red berry, as high-toned and beguiling as any classic, cool vintage Barolo (I mean, this out of the sun-scorched '03 vintage?). On the palate, a sweet, pure, bright core of ripe cherry wrapped in a lovely mint-herbal, clove-cinnamon-anise inner perfume, rich yet fresh, and very pretty. This is a very good wine, and all the more so given how difficult this vintage was for this expression of Barolo. Drunk at Belly Wine Bar, Cambridge ($130). (3977 views) | | | Tasted by Wine Canuck on 10/20/2012 & rated 94 points: Massive spice and cherries. I mean this in the best way possible, it had a nose of cherry blasters candy. This wine has seemingly done a fantastic job of navigating the hot 2003 vintage, staying totally restrained. Palate has become nicely integrated with refreshing acid and moderate tannins. Great wine. (4125 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, Bartolo Mascarello Retrospective: 1958-2010 (Nov 2016) (11/1/2016)
(Bartolo Mascarello Barolo) Subscribe to see review text. | By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, 2003 Barolo: Ten Years Later (Jun 2014)
(Bartolo Mascarello Barolo) Subscribe to see review text. | By Stephen Tanzer
Vinous, November/December 2007, IWC Issue #135
(Bartolo Mascarello Barolo) Subscribe to see review text. | By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, Piedmont Report (Oct 2007)
(Bartolo Mascarello Barolo) Subscribe to see review text. |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of Vinous. (manage subscription channels) |
| Bartolo Mascarello
Ken Vastola's fabulous guide to Bartolo Mascarello labels
NebbioloNebbiolo is a red grape indigenous to the Piedmont region of Italy in the Northwest. The grape can also be found in other parts of the world, though they are not as respected.
Nebbiolo is often considered the "king of red wines," as it is the grape of the famed wines of Barolo DOCG, Barbaresco DOCG, and Roero DOCG. It is known for high tannins and acidity, but with a distinct finesse. When grown on clay, Nebbiolo can be very powerful, tannic, and require long aging periods to reach its full potential. When grown on sand, the grape exhibits a more approachable body with more elegant fruit and less tannins, but still has high aging potential.
"Nebbiolo" is named for the Italian word, "nebbia", which means "fog", in Italian and rightfully so since there is generally a lot of fog in the foothills of Piedmont during harvest.
Nebbiolo is a late-ripening variety that does best in a continental climate that boasts moderate summers and long autumns. In Piedmont, Nebbiolo is normally harvested in October.
More links:
Varietal character (Appellation America) | Nebbiolo on CellarTrackerItaly Italian Wines (ItalianMade.com, The Italian Trade Commission) | Italian Wine Guide on the WineDoctorPiedmont Vignaioli Piemontesi (Italian only)
On weinlagen-infoLanghe Consorzio di Tutela Barolo Barbaresco Alba Langhe e Roero | Union of Producers of Albese Wines (Albeisa)BaroloRegional History:
The wines of Piedmont are noted as far back as Pliny's Natural History. Due to geographic and political isolation, Piedmont was without a natural port for most of its history, which made exportation treacherous and expensive. This left the Piedmontese with little incentive to expand production. Sixteenth-century records show a mere 14% of the Bassa Langa under vine -- most of that low-lying and farmed polyculturally. In the nineteenth century the Marchesa Falletti, a frenchwoman by birth, brought eonologist Louis Oudart from Champagne to create the first dry wines in Piemonte. Along with work in experimental vineyards at Castello Grinzane conducted by Camilo Cavour -- later Conte di Cavour, leader of the Risorgimento and first Prime Minister of Italy -- this was the birth of modern wine in the Piedmont. At the heart of the region and her reputation are Alba and the Langhe Hills. This series of weathered outcroppings south of the Tanaro River is of maritime origin and composed mainly of limestone, sand and clay, known as terra bianca. In these soils -located mainly around the towns of Barolo and Barbaresco -- the ancient allobrogica, now Nebbiolo, achieves its renowned fineness and power.
map of Barolo DOCG
An interesting thread on Traditional vs. Modern Barolo producers:
https://www.wineberserkers.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=106291 |
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