Paolo Scavino

Paolo Scavino

“The Scavino family (Enrico and his daughters Enrica and Elisa) carry forth an important family legacy with a wide range of cru-specific wines that brilliantly exhibit individual styles.” – Wine Advocate

“When winemaker Enrico Scavino passed away on February 25ththe Langhe lost one of its luminaries and one of the nicest people in the wine industry…Enrico was a trailblazer in Barolo but also a classy, lovely and humble person. He was full of energy and passion for his vineyards, wines and his family. He was immensely proud of his two daughters, Enrica and Elisa, who have worked alongside their father for years.” -Kerin O’Keefe 

The most remarkable thing about Enrico Scavino is that, over the course of his seven decades at the Paolo Scavino estate, he never stopped endeavoring to make better Barolo. Through experimental advances that continually  kept him on the avant-garde of the Langhe region, Enrico was highly influential in moving Barolo forward in both approach and pedigree. And when his daughters, Elisa and Enrica,  began taking on more responsibility at the winery,  instead of taking a step back, Enrico’s passion was bolstered by the presence of the next  generation. Enrico’s sudden passing in 2024  was a blow to the appellation as a whole,  but one thing is certain: the winery is firmly in  good hands with the new generation at the helm. 

 
Scavino’s approach to both viticulture and winemaking has always been aimed at preserving  and enhancing the unique expressions of each of their vineyard sites. And while winemaking at the estate has evolved—including Enrico’s time ushering in a new wave of style and enthusiasm for the appellation as one of the ‘Barolo Boy’s’— one constant, even from the days of Enrica and  Elisa’s grandfather Paolo, remains the cleanliness  of the winery and health of the grapes. 
 
These days, Scavino has returned to aging their Barolo in large cask to better preserve the identity and purity of their Nebbiolo. To better  understand the character of each vineyard,  they vinify all their plots separately and,  in some cases, make multiple vinifications  from one vineyard depending upon soil  composition, altitude, exposure, age of the vines,  and specific clones. These microvinifications allow the family to scrupulously select only  the best of the vintage, which will then  be used for their respective Barolo bottlings. 
 
This small family farm—which essentially  started with 5.5 hectares—now manages  30 hectares of vines, exclusively within 8 of the 11 communes of the Barolo appellation:  Castiglione Falletto, Barolo, La Morra, Novello, Serralunga d’Alba, Verduno, Roddi and  Monforte d’Alba. They strongly believe that this parceling gives them a unique perspective to  showcase the diversity of the territory. As always,  quality control is crucial. Scavino could make more wine, but the estate chooses instead  to sell off 10-30% of the production in bulk to maintain their superhigh standards. 
 
The estate regularly finds itself classified amongst the top estates of the region. This year  more than any other, we offer a tip of the hat to the ingenuity and passionate craft exhibited and embraced by Enrico Scavino, a true force in the region who helped to ignite Barolo as one of the world’s greatest wines.
 

A word on Scavino Barolo….

All of the wines are subject to scrupulous care of the vineyards in order to grow healthy and high quality grapes. Yields are limited. Vinification and aging are the same for all of the non-riserva Barolo to emphasize the terroir of each site. Each cru & sub-cru is vinified separately in stainless steel. Native yeasts, temperature control during fermentation, 8 – 12 days maceration, 20 – 30 days of alcoholic fermentation. Selection of the best performing plots during the first year of aging. The under acheiving ones, depending on the vintage, are sold off in bulk. Aging 10 months in neutral French oak barrels, then 12 months in large casks, 10 months in stainless steel, 10 months in bottle before sale.