Scarzello SCARZELLO Barbera d’Alba Superiore 2020

Description

Scarzello’s Barbera d’Alba Superiore 2020 is a soft, harmonious red, with hints of cherry and raspberry fruit. Vibrant structure that prolongs the finish where the notes of cherry and berries echo. Scarzello Giorgio e Figli is a little gem of an estate located right in the middle of Barolo. The company owns just five and a half hectares, of which almost half in Sarmassa, one of the best crus in the region. Federico and his father, Giorgio, made the bold decision to replant in the late 1990s. In 2001 Federico – after completing his studies in oenology and agriculture at the Oenology School of Alba and the University of Turin – took over the exclusive management of the company, taking it to a higher level, adapting some aspects of the winemaking while respecting traditions family’s.

Today the company has five and a half hectares planted in Nebbiolo, of which 2.5 hectares dedicated to the production of Barolo, 2 hectares in the famous Barolo cru Sarmassa, and another half hectare in Terlo and Paiagallo, both highly coveted. Federico uses traditional long maceration and large barrel aging – the hallmarks of traditional Barolo – to produce elegant, long-lived wines. The company’s flagship label, the Barolo Sarmassa Vigna Merenda, can spend up to 30 months in 25-30 hectoliter Slavonian barrels.

The vines may be young, with an average of just over twenty years old, but they are good health and planted thickly to reduce yields. Federico recently purchased a plot of 100 year old Nebbiolo, not a prime site, but the plant material was the high quality Michet clone. He plans to use cuttings for future replanting. The wines are fermented with indigenous yeasts and undergo a long maturation before a further three years of bottle ageing. Scarzello wines take time and are usually released at least a year or two after those of their peers. The wines are filled to the brim with CRU-specific character, charm and potency in equal measure. THE