2001 Azelia Barolo San Rocco

The 2001 Barolo San Rocco is even more impressive than the Bricco Fiasco. Here it is the Serralunga muscle and grip that informs the wine to a great degree. Tar, smoke, leather and plums wrap around the intense, virile finish. The 2001 San Rocco is young, young, young. What a great showing! Anticipated maturity: 2014-2024. One of the major goals of the modern school of Barolo was to make wines that were approacchable young, but that could also age. In my opinion there are three producers who consistently achieved that goal at a high level; Luciano Sandrone, Elio Altare and Luigi Scavino of Azelia. Of these growers, Scavino is the least well known, and because of that, his wines remain favorably priced. In case readers are wondering, I don’t place Luigi Scavino’s cousin Enrico in the same category only because his wines never strike me as being approachable young. Both of the Azelia Baroli were aged in French oak barrels, 25% new. Importers: Michael Skurnik Wines, Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300; Robert Houde Wines, Elk Grove Village, IL; tel. (847) 430-3887, Giuliana Imports, Denver, CO; tel. (303) 547-6343, Epic Wines, Santa Cruz, CA; tel. (800) 322-3742, Selected Brands, Deerfield Beach, FL; tel. (954) 428-0019

As the 2001 Barolo Bricco Fiasco is poured, notes of licorice and menthol jump out of the glass. Showing a darker color than the normale, this sensual Barolo is weighty and rich, with excellent concentration and a voluptuous mouthfeel in its generous expression of ripe dark fruit, cherries in liqueur and toasted oak flavors.

Full, bright red. Red fruits, coffee and nuts on the nose. Fresher and tighter than the Bricco Fiasco, with nicely delineated red fruit flavors. A more backward style, and quite firm, even a bit youthfully tough, on the back end. Azelia used about 40% new barriques for these 2001s, down from 70% in 2000.