Az. Agr. Azelia di Scavino Luigi Azelia Barolo San Rocco 2019 750ml

Lemon blossom with cherry and sliced strawberry aromas that follow through to a medium body, with firm and lightly austere tannins and a bright finish. Cedar and orange peel to the fruit. Needs time to soften. Better after 2027. (James Suckling)

San Rocco is a small MGA located on the northern side of Serralunga d’Alba with steep slopes that open toward Cerretta with clay and limestone. The 2019 Barolo San Rocco (with 7,300 bottles made) benefits from tighter space and a protected microclimate to produce powerful wines. However, this vintage certainly needs more time in bottle and is nowhere near expressing its full potential now. The bouquet is rigid and unyielding at this time. This is a characteristic of San Rocco.

Broad and fleshy, this red evokes cherry, plum, menthol and tar flavors underlined by a layer of stiff tannins. Compact, with a lightly astringent finish. Best from 2027 through 2042. 600 cases made, 180 cases imported. (Bruce Sanderson)