1978 Bartolo Mascarello Barolo

In an era of shifting trends and modernization, Cantina Bartolo Mascarello remains the steadfast guardian of traditional Barolo. Bartolo himself was the fiercest defender of that tradition: he refused barrique and refused single-vineyard bottlings, believing that the perfect Barolo is a blend of the best sites. The estate, now led by his daughter Maria Teresa, still makes a single Barolo from its four crus — Cannubi, San Lorenzo, Rué and Rocche dell’Annunziata — fermented in concrete and aged in large Slavonian oak botti.

Looking across the vintages, it is hard to argue with him. The wines move from rose petal, dried cherry and tar in youth to pure earth and ethereal sweetness with age. 1961 is one of the greatest post-war vintages in Piedmont; 1967 is warm, silky and aromatic; 1971 is the old-timers’ favourite, balancing power and elegance; 1978 is the monument, still nervous and alive after nearly fifty years; 1982 is its generous counterpoint; 1983 and 1988 are classically structured and savory; and 1986, a hail year of tiny yields, is dark and brooding. The 2021 is already singing — ethereal and aromatic on a firm, linear frame — and built for decades.

These are wines that reward patience and large formats more than almost any other in Barolo, and for me they are the clearest expression of what the village of Barolo tastes like.