Second stop was at Scarzello. This family run cantina has been producing wine for six generations. We spoke with Federico and his mother who took us through their offerings.
The first wine we tasted was the 2012 Langhe Nebbiolo. Open about a half hour when we tasted it. Produced from only Nebbiolo grapes, it is 14.5% alcohol, a bit more than the usual Nebbiolo. It spent 2 years in the cantina after bottling to allow it to rest and develop. And it did develop into a very good wine. Ready to drink now but could be held in your cellar for another two years before opening. Euro 12 a bottle, purchased for our cellar.
The 2008 basic Barolo was next in the glasses. The grapes for this wine came only from the Comune (town) of Barolo. This was noted on the label. This bottle was open for 24 hours before we tasted it and was ready to drink. 14.5% alcohol. Light Barolo nose, good wine for a light meal. Euro 30 a bottle.
The last offering from Scarzello was the 2006 Barolo Sarmassa, Vigna Merenda. This bottle was also open 24 hours before tasting it. The wine is very tannic but there is good evidence of the grape which leads us to believe that the wine needs at least five years before opening. We believe that it will be difficult to pair with food but, as always, we will try. Euro 30 a bottle, purchased for our cellar.
16 June 2015 We opened a bottle of the 2012 Langhe Nebbiolo for lunch today. We had made a chicken and red potato single plate meal with sauteed eggplant and a cucumber salad. We think it is ready to drink from now through 2016.
2 May 2016 Today, with one of our infamous ground chicken burgers, we opened a bottle of the 2012 Langhe Nebbiolo. The wine had various noses and tastes throughout the meal until probably the last half our when it came together. We will add another three months before we open our last bottle. In any case, it is a very good, soft Nebbiolo good with lightly spiced meals, served in a medium mouth glass.
24 February 2019 Today, we popped open the box of the 2006 Barolo Sarmassa, Vigna Merenda we purchased some years ago. We served it with straciatella cheese on fresh bread, a salad of radicchio and daikon and ravioli of zucca and ricotta. The wine was a little strange upon opening but within about 15 minutes, it was perfect to drink so we recommend that you open the wine before you serve it. It matched very well with lunch. We have three more bottles of this Barolo and will stretch them out over the next year. Very nice wine when opened a short time before serving.
21 July 2019 We opened the second of our four bottles of the 2006 Sarmassa today (about 15 minutes before the meal was ready) and served it with a Chinese stir fry of noodles and vegetables and some shrimp. First, we believe that wine no longer needs to be opened prior to serving it. Second, it went quite well with the meal. They complimented each other. We have two bottles left and will spread them out until the end of the year.
3 November 2019 Well, one of the 2006 Sarmassa was opened today for lunch. We served it with zucca soup and my version of my Sicilian Grandmother's lasagna. It is a great wine. We would highly recommend that if you have it, it is time to open. We will open our last bottle within the next six months.
23 February 2020 The last bottle of our 2006 Sarmassa was opened today. We served it with Chinese ravioli with a chicken and zenzero filling. That was preceded by zucca soup and followed by pirogi and cheeses. Too bad we do not have any more of this spectacular wine in our cellar. Drink now and in the future.
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