Paolo Scavino, Barolo Rocche dell'Annunziata Riserva 2000

james_suckling99

Reviewed by: James Suckling

What a wine. A deep and powerful wine with a full body, super silky tannins, and a lengthy finish. The power is mind-blowing, reminiscent of something like a 1998 Cheval Blanc, but better. This still has some life left in it. Check back in 2015.

robert_parker97

Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni

The 2000 Barolo Riserva Rocche dell’Annunziata is another exceptional Barolo. Impossibly fine, silky tannins support sweet red cherries, raspberries, rose petals and spices, all of which come together in the open-knit style that is typical of this great site. This, too, is another fabulous Barolo from Scavino. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2030. Enrico Scavino’s 2000s must be considered among the successes of the vintage. At the time, the wines were made with short fermentations lasting just four days, if not a little less. Stylistically the wines are among Scavino’s most modern Baroli. The 2000s won’t appeal to all readers, but there is little question the wines have aged exquisitely. I tasted all of the wines from magnum, but lest readers think that was an overwhelming factor in how these wines showed, the most backward wine was the Cannubi, and it was the only wine I tasted from bottle!

robert_parker92

Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni

Scavino’s Riserva, Rocche dell’Annunziata is in many ways the archetype of modern Barolo. Made from a densely planted vineyard with very low yields per plant, this is a wine that achieves very sweet, Pinot Noir-like fruit. Tasting the 1999 and 2000 versions side by side illustrates the qualities of the two vintages. The 1999, with its greater freshness and multi-layered flavors strikes me as a more complete wine, but that is simply a matter of personal taste. 2000 Scavino Barolo Riserva Rocche dell’Annunziata—Saturated ruby. Intense nose of ripe to over-ripe fruit. Beautiful round and soft palate of jammy red fruit, minerals, cocoa and licorice. Very refined and elegant, this is already drinking well. A shade less complex than the superb 1999. 92 points/drink after 2007, 12/04 Enrico Scavino was finishing work on his estate when I visited last December. The new extension will provide space for large group tastings as well as a dedicated area for Scavino’s enviable collection of larger-format bottles. This estate produces a wide range of Barolos, beginning with a base bottling that is usually one of the best relative values in the region. There are three single-vineyard wines: Cannubi, Bric del Fiasc and Rocche dell’Annunziata, all of which are very representative of their respective soil types. In the mid-1990’s Scavino bought a plot in Rocche di Castiglione. Fearing too much confusion with the already well-known Rocche dell’Annunziata, Scavino decided to create a blend by adding wine from Cannubi and Bric del Fiasc, creating Carobric. The 2002 vintage marks the first release of a new Barolo from the Bricco Ambrogio cru in Roddi. Enrica Scavino is very high on the 2001s, describing them as “very elegant and classic.” She says “We want to make wines people drink rather than look at like some kind of trophy.” These 2001s are built to age and my advice is to drink this producer’s excellent 2000s (reviewed in Issue 1) in the near term and cellar the 2001s for longer-term consumption. As fantastic as the Scavino Barolos are, readers should not overlook the excellent 2001 Barbera d’Alba….

vinous92

Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer

Full, deep red. Aromas of plum syrup, strawberry, mocha and mint; more decadent than the 2001 but still fresh. Thick and sweet on entry, then a bit less chewy and dense in the middle than the 2001, without that wine's mineral lift or black fruit character. Strong, plump wine if a bit unrefined. Finishes with more noticeable tannins than the 2001.