1999 Barolo Bricco Fiasco

Proprietor Luigi Scavino's 1999 Barolos are gorgeous. One of the things I admire most about Azelia is that the Barolos are often quite approachable upon release and only get better in bottle. That is certainly the case with these two expressive Barolos that capture the essence of the artisan, vigneron spirit in Piedmont.

It is no secret that one of the aims of the modernist school is to make more accessible Barolos, but perhaps no one has succeeded in making wines that drink as well in their youths as Luigi Scavino. These are among my favorite Barolos for their wide drinking windows as they are wines that can often be enjoyed upon release. Although Bricco Fiasco is Scavino's better known vineyard, readers should not ignore the San Rocco which is a beautiful modern- styled expression of Barolo from Serralunga. “Without a doubt the 2002 vintage was difficult,” says Luigi Scavino. “Our fruit at Bricco Fiasco was destroyed  by hail. We made a single Barolo that is a blend of fruit from San Rocco as well as a new vineyard we have in Margheria, also in Serralunga, and our overall production from those sites was about 20% of normal levels. Although the vintage was challenging we certainly have had much worse vintages, such as 1992. When I taste those wines today they are much better than most people gave them credit for originally.” Turning to his 1999s Scavino says, “for me it is a typical and very classic Piedmontese vintage. Perhaps the vintage was overlooked upon release but when people taste the wines today they appreciate them, although the wines are certainly less ready to drink than the 2000s.” Scavino favors rotofermenters and barrique-aging for his wines and notes that both single-vineyard Barolos receive the same treatment. “In 1999 I used roughly 35% new oak for my single-vineyard Barolos. The wines saw 18 months in barrique followed by 6 months in cask. In the end the differences you taste in the wines are solely due to terroir. Both vineyards are south-facing, but San Rocco is at a slightly higher altitude, and thus benefits from a wider alternation between daytime and evening temperatures, which gives the wine a little more acidity and thus freshness. To me both wines are like my children, it is impossible to pick a favorite, although perhaps I am especially attached to Bricco Fiasco as it is our family's oldest holding.”