2019 Azelia, Barolo, Margheria

Azelia makes three wines with fruit from Serralunga d'Alba, including San Rocco, Cerretta and this wine. There is also a Riserva from Bricco Voghera. The 2019 Barolo Margheria comes from a southwest facing slope opposite the Perno Vineyard. The site has very poor soils with white clay, and the vines (aged 65 years old on average) are forced to push their roots very deep as a result. This wine has a tight and very firm personality with dark fruit, rusty nail, dusty mineral and tight structure. Those rusty mineral aromas give it away as Serralunga d'Alba. This is an age-worthy wine, with 5,900 bottles released.

The 2019 Barolo Margheria is laced with sage, menthol, licorice, underbrush, dried herbs and sage. This sinewy Serralunga Barolo has good depth, although it is on the lighter side structurally for this cru. Nevertheless, the wine's persistence makes up for that to some degree.