Barolo, Bartolo Mascarello 2009

Bartolo Mascarello fans will want to stock up on the 2009 Barolo, a great choice for indulging in pure pleasure while vintages like 2006, 2008 and 2010 take their time to develop in bottle. Dried rose petals, fennel, anise, sweet tobacco and mint are all very much alive in the glass. The 2009 is ethereal, graceful and utterly beguiling from the very first taste. I expect the 2009 will mature relatively quickly by the estate's standards, but there is more positive to that than negative.

The 2009 Barolo (aged three years in botte grande and one year in bottle) opens with a crystalline, ruby color and shows extreme focus and precision. Rosehip, forest berry, wild mint, lightly toasted pine nut, dried ginger and underbrush all appear on the ever-changing bouquet. The wine is extremely finessed and silky on the close with beautiful menthol freshness at the end. In Barolo tradition, fruit was normally sourced from many vineyards. The concept of single vineyards is relatively new. In keeping with tradition, this Barolo sees fruit from the Canubbi, San Lorenzo, Rue, and Rocche di La Morra vineyards. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2035.