2017 Barolo Bricco Fiasco

This is an impressive set of Barolos from Azelia. That's not entirely surprising given the level of quality here in recent years. "We left as much leaf cover as we could to protect the grapes from the strong impact of the sun," Lorenzo Scavino explained, repeating an approach favored by many growers in 2017. "The biggest challenge was drought rather than heat, but we had a bit of rain in early September that was much needed and helped restore balance." Harvest started around September 26 and finished on October 5, which is on the later side for the year, but also about three weeks ahead of schedule. In the cellar, the Lorenzo and Luigi Scavino shortened macerations about ten days to around fifty days on the skins, with submerged cap maceration. All of the Barolos are now aged entirely in cask. I have said it before, but it bears repeating: Azelia remains one of the undiscovered jewels in Barolo.