Bartolo Mascarello Langhe Freisa 2018

Bartolo Mascarello is a revered wine producer in Piedmont, Italy. The estate was founded in 1918 and brought to prominence by the eponymous Bartolo, and is now run by his daughter Maria-Teresa Mascarello. It is particularly known for its Barolo, and for having resisted the more recent fashion for single-vineyard releases. Elegant and floral with great finesse, it continues to be considered among Barolo's greatest wines, and fetches some of the highest prices in the appellation.

The Mascarello estate is located in the Barolo village, with just 5 hectares (12 acres) of vines made up of small parcels in the San Lorenzo and Rue vineyards, and Rocche del Annunziata in La Morra. The lone Barolo is a blend of these different crus. Bartolo Mascarello also makes some Dolcetto and Barbera wines.

The winemaking style remains very traditional, with vinification in old cement and wooden vats and no temperature control. The Barolo is aged in traditional 2500 litre Slavonian oak botte for three years, followed by 12 months in the bottle before release. Production is tiny with only around 1250 cases of Barolo produced each year. - Information from Wine Searcher