2014 Giuseppe Mascarello e Figlio Monprivato Ca d'Morissio Barolo Piedmont 750 ml

The Giuseppe Mascarello e Figlio Monprivato is the stuff of legend—one of the greatest single-vineyard designates in Barolo. Antonio Galloni of Vinous said the Monprivato Vineyard “one of the region’s undisputed grand cru sites” and Wine Advocate singled the estate’s Monprivato bottling as “one of the handful of Italian wines that can hold its own with the best being made anywhere in the world.” 

As special—and limited—as the Mascarello Monprivato is, the Cà d’Morissio is even rarer. Made from the Michét subvariety of Nebbiolo, it’s the culmination of a project begun in the early 1980s by fourth-generation winemaker Mauro Mascarello, a giant of Barolo and one of the region’s longest-tenured figures. 

Bottled only in vintages Mauro deems worthy, the Cà d’Morissio comes from a thoroughly reworked part of the vineyard and represents what he calls “a genuine experiment designed to improve a clone genetically.” In the 1920s, his grandfather Maurizio—“Morissio,” in the local dialect—found a section where a particular clone of Michét yielded even higher-quality grapes than the rest of the vineyard. 

Some 60 years later, Mauro embarked on a major replanting effort there, ripping out the older vines and completely upturning the soil. After this, the ground was left to lie fallow for three years. Finally, in the spring of 1988, Mauro planted the new Michét vines at a relatively high density in order to lower yields and increase quality. 

This is a true masterpiece for collectors looking to add a serious, ageworthy, and seriously rare red wine to their cellars. An all-time classic—Barolo at its best.