2020 Azelia, Barolo, Bricco Fiasco

Made with old-vine fruit (planted in 1940) in Castiglione Falletto, the Azelia 2020 Barolo Bricco Fiasco has a sweet side that comes forth as candied cherry. It adds brightness for sure, but the wine is otherwise gracefully free of any overt signs of over-ripeness. Thanks to its lean and streamlined mouthfeel, I would suggest a near or medium-term drinking window for this accessible vintage. Production is limited to 5,400 bottles.

Lorenzo Scavino: ‘1978 the first vintage was an experiment by my grandfather [in making single-vineyard wines] and before that [he] only made assemblages. It was a great success, and his wish was to bottle the great vineyard on its own. This was rare at the time because hardly anyone bottled single vineyards (except for Cannubi).’ Castiglione Falletto. Lustrous mid ruby with orange tinges. A fantastic concoction of ripe, red fruit and peppery minerality. Compact and almost a little racy and with velvety tannins that grow in stature on the finish, adding tactile fireworks. Still a little backward. (WS)