Paolo Scavino, and more recently his daughter, have always made fabulous Barolos, as evidenced by my previous tasting notes on the 1988s, 1989s, and 1990s. However, in 1993, he began utilizing small barriques (the percentage of new wood varies according to the vineyard), pushing his wines to an even higher level of quality. While the 1993s may not possess the power, intensity, and extract of the great 1990s, qualitatively they are equals. As a postscript, I had the opportunity to taste a mini-vertical of Scavino's Barolo Bric del Fiasc, from the 1990, 1989, 1988, 1985, and 1982 vintages. All of these wines were made in the old style, without aging in small oak casks. The 1985 (rated 89) reveals a certain flatness, and to my taste, was fully mature. It is not the first time I have tasted a 1985 Barolo or Barbaresco that has not lived up to expectations. Nevertheless, it is one of the finest and most complex tasting Barolos of that vintage - a year that appears to be on a fast evolutionary track.

Dense, concentrated and opulent; a massive wine, with explosive aromas of ripe cherry, plum and anise, flecked with vanilla and toast. Showing the roundness from new small oak barrels, yet a sense of finesse and polish that can only develop with cellaring. Drink now through 2000.??–null??Region: Italy / Piedmont / Barolo Select to Add