1978 Giuseppe Mascarello e Figlio Barolo Monprivato

As we moved on to the 1978 Monprivato it was clear, if anyone needed to be reminded, why this Barolo is one of the standouts of the vintage. The Monprivato revealed superb density and richness in its dark fruit, along with balsamic notes that danced on the palate with stunning grace. This was an utterly moving Barolo.

Tasting Mascarello's 1978 Barolo Monprivato next to the Sobrero and Rinaldi was illuminating. Even though this wasn't a perfect bottle of the 1978 Monprivato, the wine nevertheless enjoyed a very strong showing. It was a massive wine with an imposing tannic structured that never allowed the fruit to completely emerge. Autumn leaves, earthiness, cinnamon, plums and cherries all made an appearance as this exotic, pure wine opened in the glass. While the Monprivato didn't quite have the compelling inner sweetness of the Rinaldi Brunate, it was still near the top of my favorite wines for the night.

1978 is of course one of the all-time great vintages in Piedmont. A spring hailstorm caused an irregular flowering and lowered yields, nature’s version of a green harvest. The summer was cool up until the final month of the season, which saw very hot temperatures. The grapes were thick-skinned but ripe, and yielded massively structured wines, the best of which are still youthful to this day. We were fortunate to drink two of the finest wines of that historic harvest. Giuseppe Mascarello’s 1978 Barolo Monprivato revealed a thrilling array of dark cherries, spices and chocolate, with balsamic, mentholated notes that came to life as the wine sat in the glass.