2010 Barolo Bric del Fiasc

Enrico Scavino and his daughters Elisa and Enrica stand out from their peers for their never-ending search for quality. Over the last few years Scavino has developed his own fermentation tanks and added to his already vast holdings with new parcels in Monvigliero and a second parcel in the prestigious Rocche dell'Annunziata, which will offset the decreased prodcution from that site as some of the parcels in the original vineyard are replanted. From bottle, Scavino's 2010s aren't quite as impressive as they were from barrel, so I will not be surprised at all of these Barolos all show even better in another year or two. As outstanding as the 2010s are, though, several recent bottles of Scavino's 1978 Barolo Bric del Fiasc show just how much was possible in Piedmont when no one knew anything, except for some possible intuitions about which vintages sites were better than others. There is little doubt the 1978 Bric remains one of the greatest Barolos ever made.

Enrico Scavino, who now owns vineyards in all of Barolo's most famous villages with the exception of Monforte d'Alba, has produced a lovely set of 2010 Barolos with an early balance that he believes makes them easier to like than the 2009s, which he says were tannic and austere at the beginning."The 2009s started out closed and tough as nails, which is nothing new for Barolo," he told me."In comparison, the 2010s are virtually ready to drink at the start."Scavino, incidentally, is another fan of the 2011 barberas, which he describes as structured and perfectly balanced, "but not with too much acidity."Scavino told me he is normally among the first harvesters, as he seeks "to preserve acidity and freshness."