Azienda Agricola Azelia is a century-old Italian winery that produces exquisite Barolo wines.
The stunning vineyard is situated in the famous Langhe region, which is officially a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Azelia wines are a beautiful representation of the area. Azelia wines are an exquisite reflection of this unique Terroir.
Bricco Voghera
This 1-hectare vineyard is situated in the Serralunga d’Alba village in Italy. It has 95-year-old low-yielding vines and some cover crops.
The wine produced in this vineyard can be described as Barolo Riserva Bricco Voghera.
The rich and smoky Barolo wine goes through five years of aging of bottles and barrels. Azelia produces about 3,500 bottles of wine each year.
San Rocco
San Rocco is the first vineyard that Azelia purchased in Serralunga d’Alba.
The soil is clayey and calcareous, which enhances the wine’s flavor. The main grape that is grown here is Nebbiolo. The average age of a vine is 55 years old.
San Rocco produces grapes mainly for the Barolo DOCG wine. It is a wine with an extremely high alcohol content, acidity, and firm tannins.
Bricco Fiasco
Bricco Fiasco is Azelia’s first Cru vineyard, spread over 1.5 hectares in Castiglione Falletto.
Its Bricco Fiasco vines are 85 years old and produce Nebbiolo grapes in small, concentrated bunches.
Its flagship wine is the full-bodied, velvety Barolo Bricco Fiasco. The calcareous white soil provides an elegant lift and an extended finish length for the drink.
Punta
This is a south-facing vineyard situated on a hilltop in Castiglione Falletto. The 1-hectare plantation has white calcareous soil and produces the Barbera grape. The average vine age is 60 years.
The main Punta wine is Barbera d’Alba, which is highly acidic and light-bodied.
Bricco dell’Oriolo
This south-facing vineyard, at a height of 600 meters, is located in the Montelupo Albese commune. This altitude is ideal for growing Dolcetto grapes.
The average age of a vine is 55 years old. The sandy soil is a great way to enhance these grapes’ floral and fruity flavors.
The vineyard produces grapes to be used in Azelia Dolcetto d’Alba wine. Azelia Dolcetto D’Alba Wine. It is a light-bodied wine with the highest ABV (12.5 percent), low tannins, and mild acidity. It is best enjoyed fresh but can be bottled and aged for a few years.
Cerretta
Luigi purchased this 2.5-hectare vineyard in 2004. Some of the grapes from this vineyard are used in the Barolo Bricco Fiasco wine.
The remaining grapes are used in the making of Barolo Cerretta.
In 2020, in celebration of one hundred years since the beginning of this estate, Cerretta is bottled as a one-vineyard wine. It is well-structured, with chewy tannins and well-balanced acidity.
Margherita
This 1.9-hectare vineyard is located in Serralunga d’Alba and has 60-year-old vines. The soil is clayey with tuffaceous marls, which enrich the wine and render it more complex.
The most prominent grape and the most well-known wine is Barolo DOCG Margherita. It is well-structured with tannins and mineral notes. It’s full-bodied and has moderate tannins, a high acidity, and a high alcohol content of 14 14% ABV.
Barolo
About 70% of this vineyard is in Castiglione Falletto, while the rest is in Serralunga d’Alba.
The white soil of Castiglione improves the wine’s flavor, while the clayey soils of Serralunga give it body and structure.
The average age of a vine is 50 years.
This vineyard produces extraordinary Barolo Classico wines like Barbaresco. The wine goes through two years of barrique aging. The full-bodied wine contains tannins, high acidity, and a long-lasting finish.
Langhe Nebbiolo
The 2.2-hectare Langhe Nebbiolo vineyard is spread across Castiglione Falletto and Serralunga d’Alba villages.
The Nebbiolo vines, which are 20 years old, produce the grapes that make the renowned Langhe Nebbiolo DOC wine.
It is the most pure manifestation of the Nebbiolo grape. It is zesty and acidic. Langhe Nebbiolo is aged in steel tanks instead of huge casks. It is full of well-structured tannins.
Let’s look at the process of how Azelia wines are made.
Azelia Winemaking
The vinification stage combines traditional processes (fermentation in old barrels or large casks) and modern techniques (new oak barrel fermentation.)
The steps following harvesting are:
Sorting The fruit that is harvested by hand is then sorted, de-stemmed, and then crushed.
Fermentation: Alcoholic fermentation with natural indigenous yeast occurs in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks. A mesh is used to push the grape skins back to ensure they remain close to the wines (submerged cap) and enhance the taste infusion.
Dolcetto D’Alba and Langhe Nebbiolo: Aged exclusively in stainless steel tanks for 6 to 9 months.
Bottling The winery employs an uniblock bottling machine to bottle its wine. The released Argon gas blocks any air contact and preserves wines’ freshness and vitality.
Certain vinos have been identified as vegan-friendly because no animal products, such as casein (a byproduct of milk), eggs, or honey, utilized in winemaking.
Best Azelia Wines to Buy in 2022
Here’s our top 8 picks out of Azelia wines:
1979 Azelia di Luigi Scavino Barolo Bricco Punta
This vintage wine has a delightful nose of wild cherry and rose. It boasts a fruity palate with black currant, cherry, and licorice notes.
1999 Azelia di Luigi Scavino Bricco Fiasco
We have a gorgeous single-vineyard wine with an aromatic nuance of red fruit and mushrooms. It has an elegant flavor profile of dark fruit and roasted hazelnut notes.
1990 Azelia di Luigi Scavino Bricco Fiasco Riserva
The 1990 Bricco Fiasco Riserva presents a fragrant nose of violets, roses, and licorice. It has a mineral flavor profile with notes of red fruit, wild cherry, chocolate, and white truffle.
Investing in Azelia wine
The beautiful wines of Azelia have varied aging potential. While a Barolo Riserva or a Barolo DOCG can be aged over 20 years, a Langhe Nebbiolo is best when drunk young.
Several Azelia wines have received excellent scores (95plus) from wine reviewers in Wine Advocate, Vinous, and Wine Spectator.
Azelia wines have also shown incredible price appreciation. Azelia Wines has seen remarkable price growth over time. For example, between 2020 to 2021:
The cost of 1990 Azelia di Luigi Scavino Bricco Fiasco Riserva rose by 72%, going from $100 to $172.
In 2007, the Azelia de Luigi Scavino Brea Riserva wine appreciated more than 36 percent, from $119 to $162.
In addition to the consistent rise in prices year-on-year, Azelia wines have also experienced some outstanding auction results:
In a Sotheby’s auction, six magnum bottles from the year 2010. Barolo Azelia Bricco Fiasco Azelia Di Luigi Scavino was auctioned off for $867.
A 3-bottle lot from Azelia Barolo from 2009, Piedmont, was sold for $225 at the 2021 Wine Auction Room auction.
A variety of six bottles made up of Luigi Scavino Azelia Barolo Margheria 2005 Luigi Scavino Azelia Barolo San Rocco 2005, as well as Luigi Scavino Azelia Barolo San Rocco 2006, was auctioned off at an auction at Waddington’s auction in March 2021 for $840.