Paolo Scavino is a historic winery located in Barolo, renowned for its rich winemaking tradition. Founded in 1921 by Lorenzo Scavino and his son Paolo, they started with a modest 5.5 hectares.
Today, Enrico Scavino, the fourth-generation family member, manages the estate alongside his daughters Enrica and Elisa. Enrico's journey in the winery began at the age of 10 in 1951 when he started working full time. With 60 years of winemaking experience, his goal was always to fingerprint the unique characteristics of each terroir and to emphasize the importance of the Nebbiolo grape.
The Paolo Scavino winery is driven by their profound respect and admiration for the land they cultivate. They strive for elegance and complexity in their wines, which are crafted from three grape varieties: Dolcetto, Barbera, and Nebbiolo. These core values and cultural principles have remained unchanged and have been passed down through generations.
The estate measures 30 hectares of land exclusively in Barolo. The winery meticulously works with 20 historical crus spread across Castiglione Falletto, Novello, Barolo, Verduno, La Morra, Serralunga d'Alba, Roddi, and Monforte d'Alba. Since the beginning, the Scavino family has distinguished themselves with their meticulous vineyard management and unwavering importance of expression of terroir. They firmly believe in the superiority of viticulture over oenology, prioritizing to do the best for their vines to cultivate the best grapes. They seek minimal intervention to preserve the natural diversity and unique character of each terroir.
Enrico persistently experiments with vinifying wines parcel by parcel. In 2007, he even designed and built his own fermentation vessel exclusively for Barolo wines, enhancing the finesse of extraction from his Nebbiolo grapes.
Enrico fondly recalls the early days when vineyard work was carried out using oxen and horses. He vividly remembers the exhilaration he felt upon purchasing his first tractor. But technological advancements have certainly left their mark on the winery. In 1993, rotofermentors were introduced, revolutionizing the winemaking process. Between 1996 and 1999, the traditional Slavonian casks were replaced with French oak. However, barriques have consistently been utilized solely for the initial 10 months of aging before the wines are transferred to larger oak botti.
Over time, the percentage of new oak has significantly decreased. In the 1990s, it reached a peak of 30%, but from 2004 to 2008, it was reduced to 20% for new oak. In 2011 and 2012, this percentage was further decreased to 17%. Notably, for the 2015 harvest, the percentage of new oak was further reduced to a mere 14%. Quality control is of utmost importance at the estate. While Scavino has the capacity to produce more wine, they opt to sell 10-30% of their production in bulk to maintain their exacting standards.
