2016 Azelia, Barolo, San Rocco 6×1.5L

Robert Parker 95

The Azelia 2016 Barolo San Rocco presents broad and sweeping aromatic brush strokes, and the tannins are pronounced in this wine from Serralunga d’Alba. This is probably the bottle you put at the back of your cellar while the others might occupy a more accessible spot for medium to long-term drinking. There is a shallow midpoint between the intensity of the bouquet and the wine’s structured finale, but that mid-palate zone will certainly flesh out with more time in the bottle. This wine earns an extra point for longevity. San Rocco was the first vineyard purchased by Luigi Scavino’s father in the early 1990s, and the vines are 65 years old on average today. Some 7,600 bottles were released. [Monica Larner, 05/01/2020]

Anticipated maturity: 2025-2047