Paolo Scavino Barolo Bric del Fiasc Riserva (1.5 Liter Magnum) 2008
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2008 Barolo Riserva Bric del Fiasc is a huge, huge wine. Waves of fruit saturate the palate as the Riserva shows off its personality. There is so much intensity that the tannins are at times barely perceptible. Dark red fruit, smoke, incense, spices and crushed rocks burst from the glass as this rich, explosive Barolo shows off its pedigree. The Riserva is pure Bric del Fiasc at its very finest. The 2008 Riserva is still in cask. I can’t wait to taste this again. Anticipated maturity: 2020-2033.
There is always something new happening at Scavino, where Enrico Scavino, along with his daughters Enrica and Elisa, continues to push the envelope. This year the Scavinos have a new Riserva they are issuing to mark the 30th Anniversary of Bric del Fiasc, first released in 1978. The 2009s, 2010s and 2011s I tasted point to an estate working at a very high level of overall quality and consistency. Readers who want to learn more about the estate may want to take a look at my video interview with Elisa Scavino.
Range: 95-97
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Wine Spectator
A broad swath of mulled cherry, licorice, tar and briar aromas and flavors highlights this dense, beefy red. Balanced, showing hints of tar and plenty of muscle. Think of a fireplace and braised lamb or beef. Best from 2018 through 2032.
Paolo Scavino winery was founded in 1921 in Castiglione Falletto from Lorenzo Scavino and his son Paolo. Enrico Scavino together with the daughters Enrica and Elisa, fourth generation, run the family Estate. Through 70 years of work, Enrico Scavino has researched and purchased some of the most historic vineyards cultivated with Nebbiolo for Barolo to experience and show the uniqueness of each site.
The Scavino family owns 30 hectares entirely in the Barolo area and vinifies grapes from their own vineyards located in the villages of Castiglione Falletto, Barolo, La Morra, Novello, Serralunga d’Alba, Verduno, Roddi and Monforte d’Alba.
The approach to both viticulture and winemaking is scrupulous, respectful and is aimed at preserving and therefore enhancing the expression and peculiarities of each vineyard in the wines.
Responsible for some of the most elegant and age-worthy wines in the world, Nebbiolo, named for the ubiquitous autumnal fog (called nebbia in Italian), is the star variety of northern Italy’s Piedmont region. Grown throughout the area, as well as in the neighboring Valle d’Aosta and Valtellina, it reaches its highest potential in the Piedmontese villages of Barolo, Barbaresco and Roero. Outside of Italy, growers are still very much in the experimentation stage but some success has been achieved in parts of California. Somm Secret—If you’re new to Nebbiolo, start with a charming, wallet-friendly, early-drinking Langhe Nebbiolo or Nebbiolo d'Alba.
The center of the production of the world’s most exclusive and age-worthy red wines made from Nebbiolo, the Barolo wine region includes five core townships: La Morra, Monforte d’Alba, Serralunga d’Alba, Castiglione Falletto and the Barolo village itself, as well as a few outlying villages. The landscape of Barolo, characterized by prominent and castle-topped hills, is full of history and romance centered on the Nebbiolo grape. Its wines, with the signature “tar and roses” aromas, have a deceptively light garnet color but full presence on the palate and plenty of tannins and acidity. In a well-made Barolo wine, one can expect to find complexity and good evolution with notes of, for example, strawberry, cherry, plum, leather, truffle, anise, fresh and dried herbs, tobacco and violets.
There are two predominant soil types here, which distinguish Barolo from the lesser surrounding areas. Compact and fertile Tortonian sandy marls define the vineyards farthest west and at higher elevations. Typically the Barolo wines coming from this side, from La Morra and Barolo, can be approachable relatively early on in their evolution and represent the “feminine” side of Barolo, often closer in style to Barbaresco with elegant perfume and fresh fruit.
On the eastern side of the Barolo wine region, Helvetian soils of compressed sandstone and chalks are less fertile, producing wines with intense body, power and structured tannins. This more “masculine” style comes from Monforte d’Alba and Serralunga d’Alba. The township of Castiglione Falletto covers a spine with both soil types.
The best Barolo wines need 10-15 years before they are ready to drink, and can further age for several decades.