Wine Advisor
Azelia, Barolo 2019
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: James Suckling
A fine-tannined and very pretty Barolo with cherry, strawberry and orange peel aromas and flavors. Medium body. Fine tannins and a bright finish. Drinkable but better in two or three years.
Reviewed by: Monica Larner
The 2019 Barolo has a pretty bouquet that is laced with light fruit, licorice and lots of blue flower. On the palate, the wine is mid-weight and lively. This is a nice expression of classic Nebbiolo that shows depth and elegance. It ferments with ambient yeasts and sees 40 days of extended maceration with submerged cap. This 29,400-bottle production represents a blend of fruit from seven sites: Altenasso and Solanotto in Castiglione Falletto, a part of Cerretta, the younger part of Bricco Voghera where the vines are from 55 to 60 years old, part of San Rocco, and Cerrati and Broglio in Serralunga d'Alba.
About the Producer
Azelia, located in the Piedmonte wine region of Italy, is a well-known family-run winery in the region. The vineyards of the Aizeli winery cover a total of 16 hectares, mainly in the Castiglione Falletto and Serralunga d'Alba areas. The main grape varieties planted in the vineyards are Nebbiolo, followed by Dolcetto and Barbera. A lot of effort is put into the management of the vineyards at Château d'Ezzeli. In order to reduce the yield of the grapes and increase their ripeness and flavour concentration, the winery conducts at least two green harvests a year. At the height of summer, all the bunches of old vines are rigorously inspected one by one and overgrown branches are pruned off by hand. In addition, the winery is committed to a sustainable approach and refuses to use any chemical fertilisers, while natural fertilisers are only used at 3-4 year intervals. In order to control the vines, weeds are kept in between the rows of vines. In terms of winemaking, Château d'Ezzelie aims to produce quality and balanced wines, using a combination of traditional and modern winemaking techniques and technologies, with strict control over every stage of the production process. The fermentation process is carried out with wild yeasts and the wines are matured in different types of barrels in order to express the character of each wine. After maturation, the wines are not clarified or filtered in any way. At present, Château d'Ezzeli produces eight red wines, including five Barolo wines. The annual production of the wines is 80,000 bottles.
