Bartolo Mascarello, Barbera d'Alba 2020

At a time when winemaking styles change as quickly as trends in fashion, it's important to celebrate the fierce guardians of tradition. Bartolo Mascarello was, by all accounts, the fiercest. His wines were celebrated for their nuance and elegance. Maria Teresa Mascarello, Bartolo’s daughter, has only turned up the quality since the early 2000s. The Bartolo Mascarello winery is worthy of being crowned a landmark of Italian wine. They make one Barolo every year that is a blend of small plots of vineyards. Their dolcetto is considered the greatest. The barbera is the easy drinking wine we wish we saw more.

It seems like an impossible feat to triumph the greatness of Bartolo’s wines, however, his daughter Maria Teresa has done it. She has kept the winery largely the same while devoting an unprecedented amount of care and attention to every bottle. These are the glory years of Barolo. These are only going to become more rare.

Bartolo Mascarello's barbera is a little more dark-fruited and earthy, with notes of spice and red flowers. It will still go great with pizza, but you can dress it up too--an everyday red from Bartolo Mascarello is like a t-shirt from Giorgio Armani.