Paolo Scavino

The most remarkable thing about Enrico Scavino is that even today, this man ever longs to make better Barolo. Decades at the helm of his family estate, founded in 1921, have already proven him a leader in the qualitative advances that have occurred in the Barolo area. Yet he has never stopped the experimentation that has kept him on the avant-garde of the Langhe region. He continues to vinify his wines parcel by parcel, taking advantage of these small fermentations to make better wines.

In fact, in 2007 Enrico designed and fabricated his own fermentation vessel, used exclusively on his Barolo, to improve the finesse of extraction from his Nebbiolo grapes. Today, with his daughters Elisa and Enrica working with him full-time, it would seem possible for this statesman (a contemporary of Domenico Clerico and Elio Altare) to take a step back. Instead, Enrico’s passion is further bolstered by the presence of the next generation!

Castiglione Falletto lies in the very heart of the Barolo area — its soils are of both tortonian and helvetian origins, stratified amongst each other. In other words, crus in Castiglione like Bric del Fiasc (or even Bricco Boschis for that matter) combine the elegance of Barolo and La Morra with the power of Serralunga and Monforte. The first vintage of Bric del Fiasc was 1978 as a Barolo Riserva. But Enrico never closed his eyes to the beauty of the neighboring communes: in 1985 he signed a long-term lease on a small parcel in Cannubi in Barolo. Next, in 1990, he acquired a piece of the famed Rocche Annunziata cru in La Morra. In 2002, with the help of Domenico Clerico, he purchased a piece of Bricco Ambrogio, the most renown vineyard in the commune of Roddi. And most recently in 2007 he added a piece of Monviglero, considered the grand cru of Verduno.

Winemaking at the estate has evolved over time, but the one constant, even from the days of Enrica and Elisa’s grandfather, is hygiene: the cleanliness of the winery and health of the grapes remains paramount. Technology has had its influence; Enrico recalls working the vineyards with oxen and horses, and said of the purchase of his first tractor: “I couldn’t have been happier if my father had gifted me a Ferrari!” In 1993, rotofermentors arrived at the estate, and between 1996-1999, Slavonian casks were replaced with French oak. But barriques were always and only used for the first 10 months of aging before the wines were transferred to larger oak botti. The percentage of new oak has been much reduced. In addition, quality control at the estate is absolutely crucial. Scavino could make more wine, but they choose to sell 10-30% of their production in bulk to maintain their high standards.

The Cannubi cru from Scavino is my favorite Cannubi available on the market. I have tasted dozens of cannubis, including a number of Cannubi vintages from Elio Altare, of which I am a big fan, but the Cannubi from Scavino shows just a little more depth. Which probably has to do with using large barrels after maturing in barriques. This combination of maturation together with the terroir of Cannubi creates one of the best wines that Scavino brings to the market, in my opinion.

Top Paolo Scavino vintages are: 1996, 1999, 2001, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2019.


FACTS

Year Founded: 1921
Owner: Scavino Family
Annual production: approx. 110,000 bottles
Vineyard: approx. 29 hectares
Natural cultivation