In James' recent conversation with winemaker Lorenzo Scavino of Piedmont, Italy's Azelia Wines, they talk about the effect of the weather on the 2017 harvest. Despite a 50-day drought, the old vines at Azelia Wines weren't affected much due to their deep roots.
Lorenzo notes that the 2017 has a "freshness and acidity that nobody was expecting." When asked if the winery had changed any part of its production process, Lorenzo states that no big changes were made aside from increasing the time of maceration.
Of the 2017, James says "Your wines are tannic but they're good tannins." He then adds, "you really have a nice combination of intense tannins, but they're not overly astringent or dry." Lorenzo agrees, saying "Barolos have to have tannins for sure, but it must be a sweet ... and that's due to the phenolic ripening."
They taste four different single-vineyard 2017 vintages in this video. Here are the tasting notes:
Azelia Barolo Bricco Fiasco 2017
Azelia Barolo San Rocco 2017
Azelia Barolo Margheria 2017
Azelia Barolo Cerretta 2017
