Barolo Margheria, Azienda Agricola Azelia 2019

Luigi and Lorenzo Scavino prolong the maceration for up to 60 days, and ageing in botti for 30 months. This Margheria is thus more concentrated, big and powerful compared to other examples. There's a freshness of sweet violet on the nose, with liquorice and smoky woodland notes and a pomegranate core, slightly bloody. The long acid is tightly knit with velvety tannins. Graceful and powerful, the palate is soaked with the wines's floral character, and austere on the finish – which is normal at this stage. A great wine in a great vintage. 2023-2050

Azelia makes three wines with fruit from Serralunga d'Alba, including San Rocco, Cerretta and this wine. There is also a Riserva from Bricco Voghera. The 2019 Barolo Margheria comes from a southwest facing slope opposite the Perno Vineyard. The site has very poor soils with white clay, and the vines (aged 65 years old on average) are forced to push their roots very deep as a result. This wine has a tight and very firm personality with dark fruit, rusty nail, dusty mineral and tight structure. Those rusty mineral aromas give it away as Serralunga d'Alba. This is an age-worthy wine, with 5,900 bottles released. 2025-2045