2007 Barolo Bric del Fiasc

Enrico Scavino introduced a new open-top vertical vat in 2007 that keeps the skins submerged under a net throughout the vinification. The skins fall to the V-shaped bottom of the tank and are drained off. The result, according to Elisa Scavino, is wines that show more early richness and complexity. The Scavino family works with no fewer than 18 Barolo crus, bottling five of them separately, along with two blends. Elisa described 2007 as "a peaceful vintage, expressive and harmonious, like eating a nebbiolo berry." The wines are layered, sweet, fruity and harmonious, she added, while the 2006s are "brighter, more tannic, earthy and precise. But the 2007s will show more acidity and freshness in five years," she maintained. Two thousand eight, from a very late harvest, "is another fantastic vintage along with 2006 and 2010. The canopy stayed green and healthy and the wines have a lot of aromatic complexity. The wines are not as rich or opulent as the '99s but they are classic, and more balsamic than forward and fruity." Also recommended: 2010 Barbera d'Alba (86).

This is a stunning set of new wines from Enrico Scavino. Over the last few years Scavino has begun to incorporate lots vinified in specially designed tanks that allow for greater contact with the skins. This year Scavino has a new Barolo from a recently acquired parcel in Monvigliero, the most historic vineyard in the village of Verduno. Scavino had incorporated the fruit from this parcel into the straight Barolo when he had access to the vineyard under lease, but now that he has full control of the vineyard he has decided to bottle the wine separately. The first vintage, the 2007, is a stunner.