Mascarello/Giuseppe Barolo Monprivato 2007

97 points Antonio Galloni (Wine Advocate): "The 2007 Barolo Monprivato is stunningly beautiful. Monprivato is seldom this rich when it is young. It is most often intensely aromatic, mid-weight and frequently out of balance, especially right after bottling. The 2007 is none of those things. It is a rich, dramatic wine endowed with tons of fruit and a sweeping, enveloping personality. It is also primary and at the beginning of what is likely to be a long, long life. Despite its seeming fragility, Monprivato is one of the most long-lived of all Baroli, even in its weakest vintages. The 2007 is spectacular, but it is very, very young and in need of significant cellaring to shed some its baby fat. Purists may prefer the 2006. I have not tasted both wines side by side from bottle, but 10 years from now it won’t matter. Readers will be thrilled to own either. In 2007 Mascarello opted not to bottle his Riserva Ca’ d’Morissio as he didn’t think there was a huge difference between the Riserva and the straight Monprivato. I guess we will never know for sure, although my barrel tastings have always suggested otherwise. In any event, savvy readers know what happens when there is no Ca’ d’Morissio in a good to great vintage. Recent examples include the 1999 and 2005. By now, its pretty clear the direction those wines have taken. Barolo lovers will not want to be without the 2007 Monprivato. It is a stratospheric Barolo in the making. Anticipated maturity: 2017-2037. (Oct 2011)"

96 points and 'Top 100 Wine of 2012 (#44),' Wine Spectator: "A pure, ethereal Barolo, boasting rose, cherry and strawberry aromas and flavors, with a touch of tar. Very harmonious and elegant, with firm yet well-delineated tannins supporting the whole. Old-school and refined. Best from 2016 through 2035. 1,830 cases made. (4/30/12)"

95 points Falstaff Guide (11/23/12).

94 points Stephen Tanzer (International Wine Cellar): "Medium red. Subtle, reticent, very pure nose offers perfumed scents of wild red cherry, rose petal and wild herbs; the most refined of Mascarello's 2007 Barolos. Wonderfully silky and fine-grained on the palate, but with terrific calcaire precision and lift. The wine's highly aromatic red cherry and floral flavors saturate the palate without leaving any impression of weight. This vintage of Monprivato includes about 4% each lampia and rose; the rest is michet, including the juice that normally goes into Mascarello's limited Ca d'Morrisio bottling. The very long finish features harmonious acidity and firm but suave tannins that reach the front teeth. A beauty. (Oct/Nov 2011)"