2022 Scarzello Sarmassa Vigna Merenda Barolo DOCG Piemonte 6pk 6x750ml

Scarzello is a family-run Barolo estate based just below the castle in the village itself, with roots stretching back to 1947. What began as Giorgio Scarzello selling bulk Dolcetto in demijohns became something more serious in the 1970s with their first bottling experiments — immediate success with neighbors and international buyers in Germany, Switzerland, and the States. In the 1990s, Federico and his father Giorgio made the gutsy call to completely replant their vineyards. When Federico took exclusive control in 2001 after finishing his studies at the Alba School of Enology and the University of Turin, he brought new thinking without abandoning the family's long-standing methods. The result: wines with individual character that fully express the winery and the local terroir.

Vigna Merenda sits in the heart of the Sarmassa Cru — one of the family's favorite holdings, where they farm 2 hectares. This is the pride of the winery. Only the best-performing parcels are selected each vintage. The wine is 100% Nebbiolo from clay, limestone, and blue marl soils at 250 meters above sea level. Fermentation happens in temperature-controlled steel tanks with a 30- to 40-day maceration on skins — long enough to coax structure without hardness. Aging runs 30 months in 25-hectoliter Slavonian oak barrels, followed by an additional 24 months in bottle before release. This is traditional Langhe winemaking: long macerations, gentle extraction, large oak casks, and the patience to let the wine become what it wants to be.

The wine is elegant and expressive on the nose — classic aromas of red berries, rose petals, and ripe red fruit, with a delicate touch of menthol that adds freshness and aromatic lift. Wild strawberries, chinotto, dark spices. Fascinatingly herbal, savoury, mineral in character. Soft yet structured on the palate, combining a generous core of fruit with long, finely woven tannins. It delivers the traditional elegance of artisanal Langhe winemaking with remarkable drinkability and balance — a rich and precise palate with depth, elegance, and a long, evolving finish that defines classic Barolo.

This is third-generation winemaking from a family that's been refining their approach for seventy-five years. The 2022 is drinking beautifully now and will continue to open through the next decade. Pull the cork tonight — it'll still be hitting its stride ten years from now.