2019 Scarzello Comune di Barolo - Barolo

Federico Scarzello is a third-generation winegrower in the village of Barolo. With help from his wife and mother, he farms five hectares and makes wines in the family cantina, a five-minute walk from the Barolo Castle. The Barolo Denominazione dell’Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG, or wine appellation) comprises 11 communes (villages), one of which is Barolo; it obviously gives its name to the appellation as a whole. Hence the name of this wine: “Barolo del Comune di Barolo”, or as the Italians like to say, “Barolo di Barolo“ (as opposed to Barolo di La Morra or di Serralonga or from one of the other eight villages).

This Barolo comes from 25-35-year-old nebbiolo vines in the crus of Sarmassa and Terlo. Soils are calcareous clay - Sant'Agata fossil marl, for you geology buffs - with lots of stones in it. Spontaneous fermentation and long maceration (minimum one month) were followed by aging in 2500- and 500-liter barrels for at least two years. 

What drew us to this wine was its traditional Barolo flavor profile, extra bottle age, and relatively moderate alcohol (14%). It is really good Barolo that is drinking great now and will continue to evolve for a decade or more. The classic pairing in Piemonte is beef braised in red wine - brasato al vino rosso; the end of this page has an excellent and straightforward recipe from Matt Kramer’s wonderful cookbook / memoir A Passion for Piedmont. But you also could drink the wine with pasta and ragù, any mushroom dish, or simply a wedge of good Parmigiano Reggiano.