Description

I think Federico may have produced his most elegant Barolo to date, this wine is red fruited and very fine in structure, the maceration in this warm vintage handled sensitively. This again bursts from the glass with racy, perfumed strawberry fruit and exceptional overall balance. Bright red  fruits, mint, flowers, spice and the sensation of crushed rocks are vibrant and lifted – this is a beautifully layered Barolo. Chambolle meets Barolo !

Barolo. Grapes come from the Sarmassa and Terlo crus. About 25 days on the skins (normally this is around 50 days), and no ‘cappello sommerso’ (submerged cap), but pumping over only. Aged in 25-hl casks for 20 months.
Lustrous and just mid ruby. Earthy, minerally, sweet cherry with an undertow of mace and Amaro (herb liqueur). Supple, expressive cherry fruit with muscular, but well-behaved tannins. Very long and with lots of juice on the finish

Federico Scarzello is the third generation to make wine at his family’s estate in Barolo, taking over in 2001. The family started selling in bulk after WWII and bottled their first Barolo in 1978. Since then he has gone from strength to strength, his respect for traditional winemaking combined with an utter dedication to quality has meant that his wines today are among the best in the region.

Winemaking at Scarzello is very much in the tradtional style. Fermentations are long – in some vintages over 50 days on the skins – and the wines are given extended ageing in large old oak casks and bottle. In practice, this means that Scarzello wines are released a year or so later than others. The wines display texture and finesse, and a subtle power that demands attention.

This diminutive, traditional, Barolo domaine owns a mere five and a half hectares, nearly half of which are in Sarmassa, one of the region’s top crus located between Cannubi and Cerequio. Sarmassa delivers wines that are aromatically enticing, bursting with juicy sweet red fruits and irresistible silky textures.

Federico and his father, Giorgio, took the bold decision to make a wholesale replanting in the late nineties. In 2001 Federico – after completing his studies in winemaking and agriculture at the Scuola Enologica (School of Enology) in Alba and the University of Turin – took over sole running of the estate and set about taking it to the next level, adjusting certain aspects of the winemaking whilst remaining greatly respectful to the family’s traditional ways.

Today the winery has five and a half hectares planted to Nebbiolo, including 2.5 hectares devoted to the production of Barolo, 2 hectares in the famed Sarmassa cru of Barolo, and another half hectare in Terlo and Paiagallo, both highly coveted sites

Federico uses spontaneous fermentation, traditional long maceration and large cask aging (he even has a few from Stockinger) — the hallmarks of traditional-style Barolo — to make these elegant and long-lived wines. The estate’s top label, the Barolo Sarmassa Vigna Merenda, can spend up to 30 months in 25-30 hectoliter Slavonian cask