2018 Giuseppe Mascarello e Figlio Monprivato Barolo 750 ml

There are precious few wines iconic enough to send chills down the spine of even the most jaded collector—but the words “Mascarello Montprivato” will do it every time.

Mauro Mascarello is one of the giants of Italian wine: A living legend who has made more of the country’s most celebrated bottles than nearly any other winemaker working today. Monprivato is his calling card—one of the first notable Barolos in the modern era to bear the name of a vineyard—and is always a powerfully elegant expression of one of the greatest sites in the Piedmont.

Legendary restaurants like The French Laundry and Del Posto devoted sizable portions of their cellars to deep verticals of the wine, which ages effortlessly for decades. As it matures, it blossoms to reveal seductive floral, truffle-infused scents setting the stage for a refined palate filled with cherry, iron, and rose petals—hallmarks of Barolos from the finest vineyards.

Monprivato is a prized southwest-facing site in Castiglione Falletto that’s been renowned since the 1600s, but its acclaim has only grown in the 20th century. Winemaker and author Renato Ratti ranked it as one of the 10 greatest vineyards in Barolo—a true “Grand Cru” that stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Burgundy’s legendary Richebourg and Chambertin.

Since the world’s savviest enophiles are well aware of the greatness of Mascarello’s Monprivato, demand these days is at a fever pitch. Anyone lucky enough to have the opportunity to cellar this bottling should be thankful—and anyone with the chance to enjoy this inimitable wine should savor it.