Giuseppe Mascarello

The estate of Giuseppe Mascarello e Figlio has a long and illustrious history in Piemonte, and is unequivocally one of the greatest Barolo producers. This traditionally-styled winery is now run by Mauro Mascarello, who is the fourth generation of the family to head the domaine, along with his daughter, Elena. The estate’s origins date back to the mid-1800s, when Giuseppe Mascarello made a name for himself managing the vineyards of other landowners, and which ultimately culminated in the purchase of his own vineyards and cellars in 1881 in the village of Monforte d’Alba. His son Maurizio Mascarello purchased his own farm and parcel in the great Monprivato vineyard in the neighboring village of Castiglione Falletto in 1904 and moved the family business to this location. Since that day the name of Mascarello and the fabled vineyard of Monprivato have been inextricably linked. In 1921, Maurizio purchased an old, beautiful 18th century building in the nearby village of Monchiero that had been one of the architectural landmarks in Piemonte, and moved the family business there; it remains there to this day. When Maurizio passed away in 1923, his two sons, Giuseppe and Natale took over the running of the domaine.

The two brothers eventually parted company (splitting up the vineyards), with Giuseppe continuing to gain renown for the superb quality of his Barolo, as well as his Barbera and Dolcetto. Demand for Giuseppe’s wines continued to increase and he expanded his purchase of grapes from some of the best local growers to meet his needs. In the late 1950s, he found the need to replace his old casks in the cellar with new Slavonian oak barrels, which continue to be used to this day. Giuseppe’s son Mauro Mascarello worked alongside his father for many years, before taking over the main responsibilities for running the family domaine in 1967. In 1979, upon the passing of his uncle Natale, Mauro re-purchased his vineyards and reunited the original Mascarello property. Throughout the tenure of Maurizio and Mauro Mascarello, the fame of the Monprivato vineyard continued to climb, and today it is universally recognized as one of the greatest vineyards in all of Barolo, with the name of Mascarello always tied to the greatest expressions of Monprivato.