Posted By Joel on September 22, 2010

Paolo Scavino Barolo 2005, DOCG

Use paint, if you like. Perhaps charcoal or marble.

Guitar or piano, depending.

Brush, chisel, strum or bow.

I make no judgment of art or artist based upon choice/s of media or technique.

What counts is the Result: is it art, or is it not?

At the wine estate of Paolo Scavino, they have “…made some extremely modern choices in their production techniques…”*. In times when the traditionalist vs. modernist debate still causes wine lovers to choose sides, I find it increasingly important to turn exactly away from such drama, preferring to focus my attention on the Result.

I escape to a pleasant evening spent in the company of Paolo Scavino Barolo 2005, a one bottle exhibition of Taste and Style. Yeah, it’s modern. It’s art. And it’s very, very good.

Established in 1921 by Paolo Scavino, the estate is located in the heart of the Langhe in Italy’s Piemonte. Although known as an innovative wine estate with a modern approach to production, the estate’s cornerstone philosophy remains solidly old school: good wine is made by taking great care in the vineyards – in this case, attentive care to vines, uncompromised thinning of clusters and fruit of the highest quality.

Paolo Scavino Barolo is made from 100% Nebbiolo grapes grown in the townships of Castiglione Falletto, Barolo and La Morra. Vineyard altitudes range 210-300m.

Fermentation / maceration takes place in temperature controlled rotary fermenters. Malolactic fermentation is carried out in oak barrels. The wine is then matured in French barrique for 12 months, a course of 12 months in French cask, followed by one year of bottle aging.

Tasting Notes / Impressions:

A deeper ruby-colored Barolo, a contribution of the rotary fermenter, I suspect. Cherries, raspberries, dried roses, tobacco, hints of lapsang souchang tea, with grace notes of orange peel and mint. A stylish, sexy, beautifully articulated core of fruit commands the palate. The wine comes together like a puzzle, a new piece appearing every 7 or 8 minutes, staying always completely in balance, always making sense, as each new piece finds its place in the composition. Still young, of course, will continue to improve with cellaring.

Food Pairing Suggestions:

MEATS: hearty stews of veal, beef, or game; roasted red meats; roasted herbed chicken, roasted duck, or game birds; RISOTTO: earthy, mushroom risotto; PASTA: pasta with rich, meat-based red sauces; pasta with mushroom cream sauce; pasta with butter and shaved morel or truffle (if you can get it); POLENTA: polenta with rich meat or mushroom sauce; polenta with butter and cheese; VEGETARIAN: pumpkin or squash ravioli; grilled tofu or tempeh; pasta with mushroom cream sauce or buttered with either mushrooms, shaved morel or truffle; CHEESES: aged cheeses such as Parmigiano Reggiano and blue cheeses like Roquefort and Gorgonzola.

$$

* quote from Paolo Scavino website

Categories: $$ ($25-$50), Piedmont, Wine
Tags: Nebbiolo