2000 Barolo Riserva Voghera Brea

The 2000 Barolo Riserva Voghera-Brea presents aromas of licorice, roses and tar. Deeply colored, it is a wine of notable concentration, with notes of dense sweet fruit, minerals and scorched earth, finishing with good persistence, although it lacks the multi-layered complexity of the 2001s. Like so many wines of the vintage it is drinking well today. 2000 is the first vintage of this wine, which is made from a newly acquired parcel of old vines in Serralunga. Azelia has also produced this Riserva in vintages 2001 and 2004. Anticipated maturity: 2006-2015. Luigi Scavino may be less well known than some of his more famous neighbors, but make no mistake about it, the wines from Scavino’s estate, Azelia, can hold their own with the very best of the region. The wines combine power and elegance with a level of virtuosity matched by few in the region. Although the wines show much concentration and oak influence, there can be no doubt that the overall balance and sense of proportion of these wines is excellent. “My dream is to make a wine that is great today, but that will be even better in 10 years and in 20 years,” says Scavino. Speaking of his 2001s, Scavino says, “I prefer 2001 to 2000, it was a vintage with less heat, so the wines are fresher and more typical?more ‘Piedmontese’ if you will.” A Marc de Grazia Selection, various American importers, including Michael Skurnik, Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300, Vin Divino, Chicago, IL; tel. (773) 334-6700, and Estate Wines, Ltd., San Rafael, CA; tel. (415) 492-9411