Paolo Scavino Barolo on a Beautiful Day

I. Love. Barolo.  I especially love Paolo Scavino Barolos.

I can’t think of many ways I’d rather spend an afternoon than hanging out with Elisa Scavino and her family’s gorgeous wines.  Specifically their Barolos, which in my opinion reign supreme in Piemonte, in terms of purity and elegance.

I had the very good fortune to visit their winery in 2010, and embark on a highly memorable multi-course dinner which started in the neighborhood of eleven p.m. and ended many wines, many courses, and many hours later.  It followed a day of tasting Barolo at their winery, which was also one of the most memorable winery experiences I have ever had.

Elisa’s father Enrico Scavino is at the helm of operations, with 2012 being his 61st harvest. I remember thinking him the most meticulous winemaker I’d ever met, with the cleanest and most pristine winery, hoses suspended in the air by big metal hooks, so that they don’t touch the floor. He rarely lets others in the cellar, working only with two others.  And he often subjects his family to blind tastings of the wines during various phases of production, so they can single out not just which vineyards they think are producing the best quality, but various plots within single vineyards. They separate the wheat from the chaff (though I doubt the chaff is very low qual) and sell the juice they won’t use.

The Scavinos produce wine from an astounding six of the 11 villages in Barolo, and 19 of the 21 vineyards they get grapes from are owned by the family. They work with 18 different Crus in all. They produce seven different styles of Barolo, including four single vineyard Barolos. Try keeping track of that.

Elisa sharing the stories of the wines and showing us the various regions and vineyards of Barolo in Piedmont.

History and principles aside, today was a beautiful sunny day in Minneapolis, and even more so because the lovely Elisa was with us sharing wine and her stories. She managed to pull away from Piedmont for a quick wine tour through the States, despite the fact that the winery is in full operational mode and has begun harvesting.

And again, Miss Elisa.

Today’s lineup started off with the Langhe Bianco 2011, which is a super drinkable blend of Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. It leads with pretty floral aromatics and soft tropical fruits, like baked pineapple. On the palate it’s broad and even a little oily, offering a full mouthfeel but none of the weight of an oaked white. The Sauvignon aromas are well behaved, simply bringing forth some herbal notes that persist on the incredibly long finish. I could drink this wine all spring and summer.

Langhe Bianco 2011

We tasted the Langhe Nebbiolo, Rosso di Tavola, Barbera d’Alba, and Dolcetto d’Alba.  All tasty and fun, especially the uber-approachable Barbera which is so drinkable it doesn’t require food.  And my perpetual friend, the Langhe Nebbiolo, which is more budget friendly than Barolo but brings plenty of moxie to the table.

Langhe Nebbiolo 2008

Barolos (brief tasting notes follow):

Barolo 2007- At first whiff, lots of violet and soft florals. Tannins are soft and silky, this is an approachable style of Barolo, bringing together the finer qualities of their various vineyards.

Carobric 2007- This blend (Ca + Ro + Bric) is jammed full of bright anise notes on a mineral and herbal core. Acid and tannin, check.  Not a pedestrian Barolo by any stretch, this blend brings forth some of the best qualities in this style of wine, including the classic rose petal notes and dusty cocoa.

Scavino Barolos from 2007

Bricco Ambrosio 2007- Single vineyard from Rotti village. It’s the only cru in the village, and makes a fatter, fleshed out style of Barolo (relatively speaking, of course). Softer acidity and more fruity than it’s counterparts, still a force to be reckoned with.

Monvigliero 2007- The first release of this wine, it’s a new single vineyard from Verduno in the northern region. The fruit comes from .5 hectare of 45 year-old vines. The nose has lots of black pepper followed by anise and followed by eucalyptus.  It’s really pretty.

Cannubi 2007- Coming from the center of the cru Barolo village, this is more fleshy and shows more fruit, specifically black fruits and crushed raspberry. I love the way this wine feels in my mouth, the tannins are tight and grippy (is that a word?) but they coat my mouth like a big velvet blanket. Elisa describes this wine as having a typical Balsamic aroma. I just know that I love it.

Bric del Fiasc

Bric del Fiasc 2007- I actually made some kind of audible (and therefore embarrassing) sigh when I smelled this wine. Gorgeous leaps out of the glass. The ball starts rolling with peppermint, young raspberry, candy cane, leather, tar and black licorice. I know that sounds kind of freakishly unappetizing, but it was a truly well-woven and elegant wine. My pen couldn’t even keep up with my senses as I was trying to record my impressions of this wine, there were so many layers of aroma, flavor and texture. I wish I had a lifetime supply.

We were also really lucky today to taste the 2000 vintage of Carobric, which is remarkably fresh but shows lots of mature fruit and all the sweetness of the wet forest floor. Delicious.

And the Rocche dell’Annunziata Riserva 2005, which is the current release. Is that sick or what? It was so beautiful, really classic with crushed rose petal, graphite and wet leather notes. Lots of eucalyptus here too. Simply a breathtaking wine and a luxury to drink.

These three can come over to my house to play anytime.

Loved the food that accompanied the tasting today, all prepared by Broder’s Pasta Bar in Minneapolis.

A good mix of snacks for partnering with the wines.

Pesto pizza

And special thanks to Bourget Imports for putting this tasting together with Banville and Jones, who imports the wine from Italy.  It was excellent!

More information about the Scavino Estate can be found here. I hope you have luck finding the wines locally (make the investment, you will not regret it). Unfortunately, the winery is only open to the trade by appointment.