Scarzello Giorgio & Figli

Federico Scarzello is a country man with little inclination for IT and technology (an area of the business he gladly leaves to his wife Federica) and, even more so, the limelight. This reluctance actually hides an affable and easy-going personality, as well as a brilliant mind capable of accomplishing great things in the public sphere, as (past) president of the Enoteca Regionale del Barolo, and by providing viticultural support and advice to other small wineries in the area.
He does all this, of course, while managing his father’s historic winery and succeeding in taking it to levels of quality and consistency never previously reached. Today, as in the past, the family’s flagship vineyards are in Sarmassa MGA, with the standout the famous Merenda vineyard, named after the farmhouse located within it and referred to on the oldest maps as Ciabot Marenda. In addition to the eponymous Barolo produced, these vineyards contribute significantly to the blend of the Barolo del Comune di Barolo, which is rounded out with a varying percentage of Terlo and probably, in the future, Boschetti (while the Paiagallo MGA plot is planted with barbera). The latter is a wine rich in spirit, sometimes edgy, but blessed with a truly unique savory element that makes it (along with its price) the most suitable wine to enjoy the estate’s style. I say this without taking anything away from Barolo Sarmassa Vigna Merenda, which remains the winery’s flagship wine.

• Additional notes 
• First vintage: 1960s.
• The Scarzello winery was the first to produce a single-vineyard Barolo from the Sarmassa MGA with the 1974 Vigna Merenda, which included the MGA name on the label from the 2010 vintage onwards.
• Barolo Boschetti was only produced in a few vintages (2015 to 2020 inclusive). The vineyard was subsequently replanted and it’s therefore impossible to predict if and when it’ll produce a single-vineyards Barolo again. It seems more likely to be used for a Langhe Nebbiolo blend or a Barolo del Comune di Barolo.