Barolo Sarmassa Vigna Merenda
2020
Our blind tasting star: power and finesse, always a crowd favorite.
Grape Variety
Nebbiolo
Vintage
2020
Alcohol Content
14.5%
Volume
750ml
Tasting Notes
Food Pairings
Characteristics
About This Wine
Scarzello’s Sarmassa Vigna Merenda 2020 is the estate at full voice: a single-vineyard Barolo drawn from five parcels in the stony, sun-favored heart of Sarmassa and bottled only in top years. Calcareous clay, a south to southwest exposure and vines in their prime give fruit that’s both ripe and tightly etched. Not all lots make the cut—after a year in wood, the parcels are blended for balance and precision. In our community blind tastings it has been one of our favorites, thanks to the way it marries depth with lift. In the cellar the approach is classic and patient: a long 30–50 day maceration, then 30 months in large 25-hl casks before a long rest in bottle. The wine shows vivid red fruits, rose and currant with a cool thread of menthol, wrapped in fine, persistent tannins. Power is there, but it moves with grace; the finish is clean and long, built to unfurl over many years. If you want a traditional Barolo that feels both authoritative and elegant, this is the benchmark.
About Scarzello
Scarzello is a small, family-run Barolo estate with serious vineyards and an old-school soul. The property totals about five and a half hectares of Nebbiolo, with a significant stake in Sarmassa—one of Barolo’s benchmark crus—plus parcels in Terlo and Paiagallo. Densely planted vines, careful farming, and a commitment to lower yields keep concentration high and fruit immaculate. Federico Scarzello has even secured centenarian Michet material for future replantings, underscoring the family’s long view on quality. In the cellar, Scarzello stays firmly in the traditionalist camp. Fermentations rely on wild yeast, macerations run long, and maturation happens in large Slavonian botti (25–30 hl). The flagship Barolo Sarmassa Vigna Merenda can rest up to 30 months in cask before an unhurried spell in bottle; releases come when the wines are ready rather than on a marketing calendar. Federico—building on studies in Alba and Turin and the groundwork of his father, Giorgio—has refined the details without touching the essentials: patience, purity, and clarity of terroir. The results are quietly thrilling Barolo: perfumed with red fruits and spice, poised on silky tannins, and transparent to site. Sarmassa brings depth and drive; Terlo and Paiagallo add nuance and lift. Scarzello is a very good quality traditionalist Barolo producer on a clear upward arc, producing wines that reward cellaring and deliver real finesse at the table. For lovers of classic Langhe character, this is a name to follow.
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