1998 Bartolo Mascarello Barolo (lightly-scuffed label)

The 1998 Bartolo Mascarello Barolo is a superb example of the vintage that is still needs a few years of cellaring, but will deliver lovely drinking for at least few decades once it reaches its apogee. The bouquet is deep, very complex and classy, as it offers up scents of black cherries, game, camphor, fresh herb tones, incipient sous bois, black tea and woodsmoke in the upper register. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, deep and youthfully complex, with fine mid-palate depth, still a fair bit of ripe, well-integrated tannin, and lovely length and grip on the tangy, tarry and classic finish.