Description

Federico pours this wine after the Langhe Nebbiolo in his tasting, and as well as assessing it for the first time, I peered down at the price list and noticed it was more expensive too. I pointed this out as it seemed unusual and he said, “but of course” and explained his concept of Barbera Superiore in so far as it is a wine that he feels can keep and improve a long way past his Langhe Nebbiolo. Federico builds it strong, it is deeply pitched and powerful. Something to decant and watch unfurl in youth but the trick is to put it in the cellar for a few years and let time work it’s wonders on the complexities within…

Federico Scarzello is the third generation to make wine at his family’s estate in Barolo, taking over in 2001. The family started selling in bulk after WWII and bottled their first Barolo in 1978. Since then he has gone from strength to strength, his respect for traditional winemaking combined with an utter dedication to quality has meant that his wines today are among the best in the region.

Winemaking at Scarzello is very much in the tradtional style. Fermentations are long – in some vintages over 50 days on the skins – and the wines are given extended ageing in large old oak casks and bottle. In practice, this means that Scarzello wines are released a year or so later than others. The wines display texture and finesse, and a subtle power that demands attention.

This diminutive, traditional, Barolo domaine owns a mere five and a half hectares, nearly half of which are in Sarmassa, one of the region’s top crus located between Cannubi and Cerequio. Sarmassa delivers wines that are aromatically enticing, bursting with juicy sweet red fruits and irresistible silky textures.

Federico and his father, Giorgio, took the bold decision to make a wholesale replanting in the late nineties. In 2001 Federico – after completing his studies in winemaking and agriculture at the Scuola Enologica (School of Enology) in Alba and the University of Turin – took over sole running of the estate and set about taking it to the next level, adjusting certain aspects of the winemaking whilst remaining greatly respectful to the family’s traditional ways.

Today the winery has five and a half hectares planted to Nebbiolo, including 2.5 hectares devoted to the production of Barolo, 2 hectares in the famed Sarmassa cru of Barolo, and another half hectare in Terlo and Paiagallo, both highly coveted sites

Federico uses spontaneous fermentation, traditional long maceration and large cask aging (he even has a few from Stockinger) — the hallmarks of traditional-style Barolo — to make these elegant and long-lived wines. The estate’s top label, the Barolo Sarmassa Vigna Merenda, can spend up to 30 months in 25-30 hectoliter Slavonian cask