Mauro Mascarello’s 2008 Barolo Monprivato is a much more lifted and translucent wine than the 2006 Le Vigne. A wine that needs considerable air, the 2008 only starts to blossom with a few hours in the glass. Monprivato is often quirky, but the 2008 is a real moving target. Just this week alone I have tasted six bottles of the 2008 and found the wine a bit all over the place, especially compared to other wines from the same year. Still, with patience, the 2008 really sings. Ideally, readers should plan on cellaring the 2008 for at least another few years. Drink 2016-2043.

Good medium red. Ineffable soil-driven aromas of strawberry, dried flowers, rust, mocha and pungent minerality. Juicy and highly complex, offering saline, savory flavors of strawberry, minerals and underbrush. This is about white soil perfume and subtlety, not weight but there's terrific intensity nevertheless. Finishes suave and vibrant, with uncanny subtle length. Built for a long and graceful life in bottle. Mascarello owns 6.5 hectares of this prime south-facing cru in Castiglione Falletto. He has mostly lampia clone planted here but also has 18% old-vines michet and 6% rose.

– vinous.com, November 2013

Detailed and fragrant, offering floral, strawberry, cherry, licorice and spice flavors, this is elegant and underlined by a strong mineral streak. Well-proportioned, picking up intensity and complexity on the long, savory finish. Extremely fresh and classy. Best from 2016 through 2035. 1,800 cases made.

– Wine Spectator, April 2013

Readers will have to be especially patient with the 2008 Barolo Monprivato, a wine that has none of the early appeal of other recent vintages. Still very much closed in on itself, the 2008 possesses serious depth, power and structure, but those elements are suppressed by the recent bottling. Dried rose petals, crushed berries and mint are some of the nuances that flesh out on the powerful, imposing finish. I don’t think the 2008 will ever match the 2006 or 2007, but it is going to be fun seeing how close it gets. Anticipated maturity: 2018-2048. (Antonio Galloni)