The 1986 Barolo emerges from one of the most fascinating vintages of the last forty years. Devastating hail in May wiped out many vineyards and very few producers bottled Barolo. Most of the little wine that was released was made from tiny yields and the second flowering that followed the hail. A few 1986s were ultimately bottled but they languished under the shadow of the 1985s literally for decades. Both Bartolo Mascarello and Bruno Giacosa (who bottled a Red Label Riserva) told me they preferred 1986 over 1985. And so we arrive at Mascarello’s 1986 Barolo, a wine that, from magnum, captures all of the richness and intensity that the vintage provided all on its own. The 1986 here has always been a deep, muscular wine. That is exactly what comes through today. (AG)