Giuseppe Mascarello Dolcetto d'Alba "Santo Stefano di Perno" 2022
(Piedmont, Italy)

About the Winery:
The estate of Giuseppe Mascarello e Figlio has a long and illustrious history in Piemont, and it is unequivocally one of the greatest Barolo producers. This traditionally-styled winery's origins date back to the mid-1800s, when Giuseppe Mascarello made a name for himself managing the vineyards of other landowners, and which ultimately culminated in the purchase of his own vineyards and cellars in 1881 in the village of Monforte d'Alba.

Mauro Mascarello has been the winemaker for the Giuseppe Mascarello estate since the late 1960s, succeeding his father, Giuseppe, and his grandfather, Maurizio, both legends in their time. And like them, Mauro is a traditionalist dedicated to long fermentations and aging in old botti. But Mauro has also made important changes, not the least of which was the creation of a single Barolo from the great Monprivato vineyard in 1970. Prior to that year, his family had always made their towering Barolos and Barolo Riservas by blending Monprivato fruit with grapes from other sites.

About this Wine:
Color: deep ruby-red
Nose: strong, nicely fruity, with flowery touches
Taste: dry, nice body, bitterish, elegant

Pairings: This wine can be served throughout a meal, but is particularly recommended with white meats, soups and pasta.

Winemaking:
Grape-variety: Dolcetto
Vineyard: The Santo Stefano hill in Perno, in the commune of Monforte d'Alba (CN).
Grape Harvest: Middle of September.
Wine-making process: Traditional-style, floating cap fermentation at a controlled temperature of selected, thinned estate-grown grapes. Unoaked, stabilized in inert tank.
Expected cellar life: 4/5 years
Bottling: After one year following the vintage

Ratings & Reviews:

92 Points - Wine Advocate (2021):
"Bold primary tones of plump cherry and blackberry are delivered to the bouquet of the 2021 Dolcetto d'Alba Vigna Santo Stefano di Perno. This wine is all about freshness, fruitiness and richness. Mauro Mascarello says the 2022 vintage had less volume overall. Production is always lowered in the hottest drought years because the grapes tend to slow down. But 2021 was a quality year for Dolcetto, he says, both in terms of quality and quantity." - Monica Larner (Aug 2023)