2019 Barolo Bricco Ambrogio

The 2019 Barolo Bricco Ambrogio (with 6,800 bottles made) needs more time to open. With fruit from the village of Roddi, this expression tends to be more accessible overall, with dark cherry, dried raspberry, spice and earthy iris root. Like some of the other wines in this set of releases, the aromas had difficultly coming out at the time I tasted these samples.

Roddi. Lustrous mid ruby. Cool nose of dark-cherry fruit. A delicious core of pure, juicy cherry on the palate with long, finely grained tannins. A super-attractive, elegant wine from a little-known vineyard. (WS)

Moving into the single cru wines, the 2019 Barolo Bricco Ambrogio is lifted and appealing, with spice and floral notes weaving together, along with wild strawberry, candied flowers, and fresh sage. This continues gracefully to the palate while taking on the tension and linear drive that readers should come to expect from the 2019 vintage. Medium-bodied and long on the palate, it has present but refined tannins throughout. Drink 2025-2045. Helmed by fourth generation winemaker Elisa Scavino, the estate owns and manages 30 hectares spanning eight of the 11 communes of the Barolo region and is based in Castiglione Falletto. Since 2007, they have implemented the use of a netted, submerged cap cylindrical system developed by Elisa’s father Enrico that achieves a delicate extraction during fermentation. They have moved to slower, longer fermentation periods and, as of 2018, are solely utilizing large casks. In the vineyard, they pay great attention to the compression of the soils, creating a healthy ecosystem rich in oxygen and microorganisms and a sustainable approach. Their most recent acquisitions include those of Prapo and Ravera in 2015. Having lost their contract for Cannubi, they are no longer producing what was known as the Barolo Carobric, of which the Cannubi fruit was a major component. I continue to be impressed with the direction these wines have been taking toward a more expressive and pure sense of place, with wonderful diversity across the portfolio.