Barolo

Score

91

"The 2017 Barolo is a gorgeous entry-level wine. Scorched earth, tar, licorice, black cherry and gravel give the Barolo an unusually dark, brooding profile in 2017. As it often is, the 2017 Azelia Barolo offers tremendous character and nuance in its peer group, or any peer group for that matter. Translucent and so expressive, the 2017 has a lot to offer."

Score

93

"Azelia's classic 2016 Barolo shows a spicy or savory personality with accents of laurel leaf, eucalyptus and clove. Those are some of the high notes that hover over a core of dark fruit and dried blackberry. On the Nebbiolo scale, this wine takes us to a sultry side of the variety, with slightly more fruit weight, texture and pronounced black fruit. If you are choosing your Barolo according to a possible pasta or meat pairing, this would be the meat wine. Azelia's classico Barolo is a blend of fruit from seven single vineyards, with 30% of the total from Castiglione Falletto and 70% from Serralunga d'Alba. A big portion comes from the Cerretta and Broglio sites, with 50-year-old vines. About 29,000 examples were produced."

Score

93

"Azelia's 2016 Barolo is a blend of fruit from two parcels in Castiglione Falletto and five in Serralunga, with the character of Serralunga especially felt in the wine's tannic grip and persistence. Iron, sage, mint, smoke and wild cherry give the Barolo striking aromatic nuance and complexity, all in the mid-weight style that is such a signature at this address. The purity of the fruit is just striking. Stated simply, this is a tremendous wine in its peer group."

Score

92

"As pleased as Azelia’s proprietor Luigi Scavino is with 2016, he doesn’t consider it a classic vintage due to its relatively accessible character. Indeed, the tannins here are smooth and round on the entry, though they layer up with a fine, sandy texture and cling to the finish. Racy, linear acidity makes for a beguiling juxtaposition. Throughout, anise, sage and eucalyptus accent pretty woodland berries. This brings together seven crus with the backbone coming from Cerretta and Broglio in Serralunga d’Alba."

Score

90

"Azelia's 2012 Barolo is fresh, floral and nicely lifted in the glass. Crushed flowers, sweet red cherries, spices, mint and rose petal lift from the glass in the 2012 Barolo. An excellent choice for drinking over the next handful of years, Azelia's straight Barolo is all about balance and understated harmony. The style is gracious, perfumed and weightless, with pretty saline notes that give the wine its sense of proportion. This is one of the best straight 2012 Barolos I tasted. Fruit sources are 70% Serralunga and 30% Castiglione Falletto. The 2012 spent two and a half years in cask. Hail was an issue in Bricco Voghera, so Azelia did not produce a Riserva. All the best fruit went into the straight Barolo."