Giuseppe Mascarello e Figlio, Barolo, Monprivato 2011

No matter the vintage - hot or cold - this special wine always stays true to itself. The 2011 Barolo Monprivato is not as precise or polished as the excellent 2010 vintage, but the wine offers abundant elegance and generosity nonetheless. Dark fruit is followed by pipe tobacco, licorice and cola. These elements achieve a beautiful level of balance, depth and unity. Some tartness appears on the close. This wine demonstrates that you can't beat an excellent vineyard site when it comes to making iconic wines.

Mauro Mascarello's 2011 Barolo Monprivato is soft, open-knit and surprisingly ready to go today. Dried cherry, anise, crushed flowers, mint and sweet tobacco all find support in a pretty fabric framed by silky, inviting tannins. The 2011 is not a huge Monprivato, but it does offer good balance in a restrained, mid-weight style, even by this wine's historical standards. I have seen Monprivato gain considerable depth and intensity in bottle. It will be interesting to see what happens here. In 2011, Mascarello did not bottle their flagship Riserva Ca'd' Morissio. Instead, all the fruit went into the straight Monprivato.