Winemaker Notes
An impeccable balance. Castiglione Falletto and Serralunga d'Alba match here in a superlative way. Aroma and finesse with power and body at the same time. Sweet nose, with hints of cherry, black currant and licorice. Fruity tannins. A union of characters. Aged for two years in large casks.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Aromas of coal dust and tar with a distinctly savory, stony edge and nuances of dried herb-wrapped cherries. The acidity is assertive and delivers a strong burst of red plum-pit flavor, ahead of chalky, smooth tannins. Nice balance. Try from 2022.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
This is an enriched expression that shows the intensity and tightness of Nebbiolo with just a margin of the immediate softness and accessibility of this warm vintage. The Azelia 2015 Barolo comes together well on the palate with nice precision and focus. This is a blend of fruit from seven different small vineyards, with about one-third from Castiglione Falletto and the rest from Serralunga d'Alba (largely from the Cerretta and Broglio crus).
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Wine Enthusiast
This has intense aromas of iris and violet with a whiff of eucalyptus, while the solid, chewy palate offers ripe Marasca cherry, clove and a hint of espresso. Fine-grained tannins provide support. Drink through 2025.
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.