2008 Giuseppe Mascarello, Barolo Monprivato

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. Anticipated maturity: 2018-2048.