2021 Paolo Scavino ‘Prapo’ Barolo DOCG

JD96 Pouring a darker red color, the 2021 Barolo Prapo is more brooding and introspective, with layered aromatics of polished leather, balsamic herbs, black cherries, and espresso. It fills the palate with an expansive and saturating feel, with plush tannins, even acidity, and a very long finish. A fantastic wine that has a commanding yet well-detailed presence, with a good deal of grip on the finish, its another exceptional wine from Scavino that / would be thrilled to have stashed in the cellar over the next 15-20 years.
VIN96 The 2021 Barolo Prapò is fabulous. It offers up an exotic mix of dark fruit, lavender, graphite, plum and scorched earth, with firm, muscular Serralunga tannins to back it all up. Readers will have to be patient with the 2021. It’s a superb wine in the making, but very much a Serralunga Barolo that needs time to blossom.
WS96 A brilliant red, whose cherry, raspberry, floral and fresh-cut hay aromas and flavors are expressive and fresh. Its structure is firm and dense, with fine-grained tannins and typica/ Serralunga tension. Harmonious but needs time to integrate, with a lingering, fruit- and mineral-tinged finish. Best from 2029 through 2050.
WA95 Here is an intense Nebbiolo that shows all the depth and power of Serralunga d’Alba. The Paolo Scavino 2021 Barolo Prapò is a well-built wine with ample flavor parameters that extend both horizontally and vertically. That wide sweep includes dark fruit, plum, red rose and iron ore. The tannins are a little softer compared to many other expressions from this village, and the wine offers medium-plus richness to close. The Scavino family purchased this 0.7-hectare vineyard in 2008 and planted it in 2010. Nebbiolo vines with loose clusters, low yields and better ripening were chosen for a massa/ selection. Open clusters are helpful in combating mildew disease. The family noticed that Prap develops a pretty sense of sweetness and aromatic complexity, and that’s why they decided to ferment it separately. However, Prapò is ultimately less extreme compared to some of the other sites in this village.
DEC95 With 30ha in eight of Barolos villages, Paolo Scavino crafts one MGA bottling from each. In Serralunga, the family selected the relatively small Prapò site, where they own 0.7ha. After replanting with a massa/ selection in 2010, the first vintage was 2015, and considering the relative youth of vines, there is significant depth here. Aromas slowly reveal lilac intertwined with porcini and tilled earth. An imposing tannic backbone currently boasts the upper hand, however. Tangy blackcurrants are buried in the concentrated core, pierced by steely acidity. Time in the bottle will do this a great favour.
JS95 This shows aromas of violets, crushed stones and dried cranberries. The palate is medium-bodied with caressing, chewy tannins and attractive fruit that will have to briefly wait for the tannins to recede. A solid wine. Better wait a few years to fully enjoy this exceptional wine. Try from 2027.
Estate Notes: Barolo Nebbiolo from the Prapò cru within Serralunga d’Alba • Planted at 370 meters above sea level with south/southeast orientation • Planted with massal selection in 2010 • Soil type: Formazioni di Lequio, a yellow-red sand combined with silty gray marl • Fruit harvested by hand in the third week of October • Submerged-cap maceration (10-12 days on avg) in stainless steel rotary fermenter • Indigenous yeast fermentation (20-30 days on avg) in stainless steel • Aged 20 months in large French oak cask and 3 months stainless steel, plus 14-16 months in bottle • Approximately 400 cases produced annually