2007 Barbera d'Alba Santo Stefano di Perno
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The 2007 Barbera d’Alba Santo Stefano di Perno opens with an intoxicating, heady bouquet of smoke, tar, grilled herbs and dried flowers. Black cherries, plums and pomegranate follow in this juicy, seductive, totally expressive Barbera. The wine shows striking depth and purity while never coming across as heavy. This is as head-turning and sexy a Barbera as was made in 2007. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2017. This is a stellar showing from Mauro and Giuseppe Mascarello. The 2007 Baroli are stunning now that they are in bottle, but the Barberas are equally worthy of attention. As always, the style is very traditional, but in 2007 the steady warmth of the vintage has given the wines an extra dimension of fleshiness. The 2007 Monprivato in particular is shaping up to be another legendary Barolo from Mascarello. Importers: Doug Polaner, Polaner Selections, Mt. Kisco, NY; tel. (914) 244-0404, The Rare Wine Co., Sonoma, CA; tel. (707) 996-4484
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Antonio Galloni, Wine Advocate
Antonio Galloni, Wine Advocate
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The Barbera d’Alba Superiore Santo Stefano di Perno is a stunner in 2007. Violets, red berries, sage, rosemary and licorice meld together seamlessly in this hugely enjoyable, gorgeous Barbera. In this vintage the Santo Stefano di Perno possesses breathtaking balance, well-defined aromatics and a prominent streak of minerality that keeps the ripeness of the fruit in check. This is first-class juice. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2022. Proprietor Mauro Mascarello is best known for his Baroli, but his entry-level wines also merit considerable attention. The wines are always released on the late side, so finding the time to review them can be a challenge, hence their inclusion in this issue. I also had a chance to taste Mascarello’s 2007 Baroli from cask and they are living up to the immense promise I sensed when I first sampled them a few years ago. Importers: Doug Polaner, Polaner Selections, Mt. Kisco, NY; tel. (914) 244-0404, The Rare Wine Co., Sonoma, CA; tel. (707) 996-4484