The Crus to Choose
Some things haven’t changed. The best wines are still made “in the vineyard” mostly by hand. Especially as the growing seasons become warmer, it’s the heroic vigneron who presses forth, tweaking the canopy just so, nourishing the soil through covercrop rotation, and so much more, all this to produce a wine that will be enjoyed by many whose lives bear little resemblance.
Because it makes sense – as the world moves faster, a hand-crafted beverage that wrangles nature into a refined, delicious and natural culinary experience is something truly life affirming. And when there's a historical dimension, such as that the winery has been doing it for a long time, it conveys a sense of continuity from past to present.
And this is precisely why Azelia Barolo has so much to love. One of the oldest Barolo producers, now in their fifth generation, Azelia is one of the original stalwarts of natural winemaking. For 100+ years, Azelia has always farmed organically with biodynamic treatments, and they have always used native yeasts and managed the vines by hand. Like their ancestors before them, Azelia's father and son team, Luigi and Lorenzo Scavino, are unrelenting in their pursuit of perfection, and their customers are richly rewarded for it.
The pinnacle of their achievement comes forth in the Barolo Crus, and we are pleased to present the full lineup of 2020 Azelia Barolo Crus.
The newest Cru from Azelia is Cerretta, a vineyard quickly becoming established as a top Barolo site for its special terroir that delivers the complete package, both power and elegance. The Scavinos' block is at the top, and they waited 30 years before creating their Azelia Cerretta Cru bottling. Just 5 vintages in, Azelia’s Cerretta bottlings have become some of the highest rated in the region.
Across a ravine from Cerretta lies the San Rocco Cru, where dark grey clay soils produce depth with firmer tannins. It was the first vineyard acquired in Serralunga by Scavino and has historical importance to the village sitting in front of the church of San Rocco. This wine is about power, structure and is built for long aging.
The third Serralunga Cru is Margheria, a site further south on white powdery calcareous clay that delivers soaring ethereal aromatics and elegance with underlying firm tannins. Azelia gets the best of this site through full cap submersion which makes the wine approachable in youth.
Azelia’s most cherished Cru in Serralunga is the Bricco Voghera which is only bottled as a Riserva in select vintages. The highest block of the vineyard, the Bricco, is precariously steep requiring special techniques to farm. The vines are the oldest in Serralunga averaging 95 years and the wine they produce is special. It is only released after 5 years in barrel and another 5 in bottle and there are only 3500 bottles made.
That brings us to Azelia's first vineyard, Bricco Fiasco, from Castiglione. The vineyard was planted by Lorenzo's great grandfather, Alfonso, and the vineyards are 85 years old, and when it was first bottled in 1978, it was one first Cru-designated Barolos ever made. Today, it holds its place among the great Crus of Castiglione with its white limestone soils, that produce intense floral notes and ripe juicy red fruit.