2020 Bartolo Mascarello Barbera d'Alba

Community Tasting Notes (6) Median Score: 91 points

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  4/12/2024 - brasstab wrote: 93 Points

  Really needed food, and our local Italian gem, Rustico, delivered.

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  11/6/2023 - Pags44 Likes this wine: 94 Points

  Boy is this good. Dark red berry, good lift, hint of earth and pepper all jumping from the glass.
  
  Ripe raspberry, smooth, round, soft tannin. Supple yet rich, fresh yet dense. Such a lovely wine in its primary phase. Can age for sure but this is about as good as young barbera gets.

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  8/8/2023 - Robmcl920 Likes this wine: 91 Points

  The '20 Barbera from Mascarello is a very enjoyable bottle of wine. I am personally not a fan of Barbera, especially in warm years when the alcohol spikes, but this Mascarello does its best to disguise that with a reasonable (for Barbera) 14.5% alc. For context, the 2020 Conterno Barbera Francia is 15.5% if I recall correctly, and the '20 Mascarello is consideraby more elegant and drinkable than I recall the Conterno being.
  
  On the nose, I found juicy dark red to black cherry fruits alongside purple fruit tones, and a bit of espresso and sweet spice. The aromatics are really stunning at this point. On the palate, the wine is medium in body but packs a punch with a burst of acidity and alcohol, with the alcohol showing a bit harsh at this stage, but actually quite elegant by Barbera standards . While the texture on the palate is a touch rough, the flavor profile is very pretty and balanced, with dark red to black fruit tones, lavender, sweet spices, and a touch of smoky, meaty tones, sort of Rhone like. My guess is over time, more of that smoky and meaty note will come out in the wine as the primary fruit tones subdue a bit. The wine's brilliant acidity and fresh fruit tones make it quite quaffable despite the touch of alcoholic heat on the palate.
  
  Sadly I believe this is the last vintage of Mascarello Barbera that will come from the winery's existing older vines, as disease that is impacting Barbera across the Langhe required replanting the vineyard post the 2020 harvest. So I believe the 2021 Barbera and the next few vintages will come from purchased fruit, then eventually young vine Barbera that was replanted.
  
  My score reflects my personal enjoyment of the bottle, but if you like Barbera and are more tolerant of alcohol levels in wine, you will probably find this better than my rating.
  
  Day 3 Update: I saved a bit of the Barbera for two nights in my wine fridge, in the original bottle recorked. So significant air exposure. Two days after opening, the wine is showing beautiful and more nuanced aromatics, a bit spicier and more savory than after first opening. On the palate, it is smoother in texture than on day one. Based on this experience, I'm interested to see what this wine is like with some age.

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  7/13/2023 - jviz wrote: 88 Points

  As much as I love the producer, this wine really didn't do it for me. The bottle was sound and improved greatly as the night went on. Paired w/pasta and bolognese, the wine felt hot and somewhat shrill on opening. Air gave way to some juicy, compact berry fruit, which I liked but this never gave up any significant complexity to merit its price. Not a wine I intend to replace.

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  4/15/2023 - rlove wrote: 91 Points

  Floral, juicy, with a bit of earth. Balanced acidity that brings you back for another sip. Good.

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