AZELIA BAROLO BRICCO FIASCO

Tasting notes:

A class act that offers a real step up into “Cru” quality – for its finesse, freshness and extra intensity. The ripe wild berry fruit is expressive and aromatic but remains crispy, whilst a fine-grained sea salt character adds further zest and energy. Perhaps a tad more delicate than the 2016 there is no doubting the impeccable quality of fruit here, which is reinforced by a fortifying but finely-etched tannic structure. 

About the wine:

From the top of this steep and warm hill in Castiglione Falletto, the first Cru vinified separately. Historical Cru produced since 1978. A unique value for the family. Superlative harmony and elegance: the vines age, 85 years on average, gives indescribable aspects. 

The Bricco Fiasco is a relatively sandy plot at the top of the Fiasco hill in Castiglione Falletto. This sandy soil gives incredibly aromatic and fruity characteristics to the wine. Contrary to the regular Barolo the wine is aged (24 months) half in oak barriques, but only 8% new wood, and half in large bottle. This is designed to further limit the oak influence on the wine - a direction Azelia have been going in for some years now.  

About the producer:

Owner Luigi Scavino, cousin and neighbour of Piemonte legend Enrico Scavino, started off life as one of the typical modern Piedmont producers: no expense was spared as new oak was used for the top wines, yields were low and the sparkling new fermenting vats were of stainless steel. Many of these aspects still apply however Azelia have refined their techniques enormously over the years, rarely using more than 25% new oak and employing large botti casks as well as barriques for the ageing process.

They are now very among Barolo's leading lights. They produce a superb Dolcetto planted at 500 metres above sea level on a south facing slope in the prime Montelupo district and their oak-aged Barbera is extremely fine too. All of their Nebbiolo holdings are spread out over the Castiglione Falletto and Serralunga regions where the vine produces full bodied, intense and complex wines.

The top two wines are the ethereal but powerful Bricco Fiasco frmo Castiglione (the same vineyard as Scavino's Bric del Fiasc) and the explosive, spicy San Rocco from Serralunga. In only the best of vintages a Barolo Riserva is made from the ideally situated vineyard in Serralunga, Voghera.