2004 Barolo Riserva Monprivato Ca' d'Morissio
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Tasting notes
Good full red. Wild, reduced nose shows red raspberry, strawberry, porcini, underbrush and a whiff of baked bread; not for the faint of heart. Then lush and sweet but not particularly forthcoming, with the wine's funky leather and animal notes blocking its fruit. I find the tannins a bit dusty and dry, and the notes of caramel, mocha, mushroom and earth make me wonder where this can go. Not perfectly clean; did this spend too long in oak? Mascarello told me it was bottled in 2009, while the 2006 was bottled in 2012. Drink soon unless you're a necrophiliac.
Critic scores
Average Score
Walter Speller, jancisrobinson.com
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Pale ruby beginning to show orange. At first almost herbal with huge minerality but not giving away much else. A touch of horse saddle, which blurred the nose somewhat but disappears with aeration. Beautiful, elegant palate weight and grainy tannin. Perfect balancing acidy, but not knit together yet. Very tactile and compact. Stratospherically priced. (WS)
The 2004 Barolo Riserva Monprivato Cà d'Morissio is totally seamless and beautiful today. It possesses gorgeous textural richness and finesse with virtually no perception of tannin. Rose petals, flowers, raspberries and mint come alive in the glass, but it is the wine's subtle yet insistent chalky minerality that is the thread that holds the wine together. This is a hugely impressive Barolo with a bright future.
The 2004 Barolo Riserva Monprivato Ca d’Morissio is totally seamless and beautiful. It possesses gorgeous textural richness and finesse with virtually no perception of tannin. Rose petals, flowers, raspberries and mint come alive in the glass, but it is the wine’s subtle yet insistent chalky minerality that is the thread that holds the wine together. This is a hugely impressive Barolo with a bright future. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2034. One of the great tastings in Piemonte is sitting down with Mauro Mascarello and his son Giuseppe, and going through all of their wines from barrel. Vintage 2008 is looking good so far. The wines have great transparency to site and plenty of personality. Mascarello planned to bottle the 2008 Baroli during the summer of 2012. Importers: Polaner Selections, Mt. Kisco, NY; tel. (914) 244-0404, The Rare Wine Co., Sonoma, CA; tel. (707) 996-4484