Two great Barolo crus: a Giuseppe Mascarello mixed case

2017-2019 Villero & Perno

Giuseppe Mascarello is one of Barolo's most revered properties. Founded in 1881, it has since enjoyed several generations of success based on top Barolo sites and traditionalist winemaking. The estate is most known for its almost monopole holding of the great Monprivato site in Castiglione Falleto, but to only consider Monprivato overlooks two other absolute jewels in the crown.

Villero lies on the next ridge west from Monprivato, enjoying the same altitude and the same southwestern exposure. The difference is in the soil; where the soils of Monprivato are clay and silt, those of Villero are clay veined with sand. That leads to a wine of ethereal purity, with the very fine tannins characteristic of wine from sandier soils.

Further south, Giuseppe Mascarello also has a great holding in the Perno cru of Castiglione Falleto. Perno is large and diverse, but it enjoys an intense qualitative hotspot in the Santo Stefano di Perno section, just below the hilltop chapel dedicated to Santo Stefano. The Giuseppe Mascarello vines are here, on limestone-rich soil that tends to make a spectacular, often very tannic, structured wine.

To help you get to know these two great Barolo crus, we've put together a mixed case with one bottle of each cru from the consecutive vintages of 2017 to 2019. They were three quite distinct years. 2017 was hot and dry, 2018 was warm and wet, and 2019 was a beautiful, balanced, slow-ripening vintage that led to highly expressive Nebbiolo and very complex, cellarworthy wines. And vintage differences aside, each bottle is of course on a different step of its evolutionary journey. /NT

Offered subject to remaining unsold. Wines available immediately. To place an order, click on the wines below or call 020 7638 5998