Cerretta is one of my favorite sites in Serralunga d'Alba because it consists of vines wrapped around a hilltop with various exposures. For that reason, Cerretta wines can vary widely from producer to producer. The Azelia 2019 Barolo Cerretta has dark fruit and spice, but the bouquet is mostly colored by flinty mineral tones, smoke and pencil shaving. It offers terrific balance and also manages some softly perfumed notes of violet and blue flower that you don't get in the other wines. It sees 50 days of extended maceration and 30 months of aging in large oak casks. This is a very limited production of 3,200 bottles.

A lean, sinewy style, this red suggests cherry and strawberry fruit shaded by mint, cumin and tar accents. Though energetic, the finish is currently dominated by dense tannins. Requires patience. Best from 2027 through 2045. 400 cases made, 120 cases imported.

The 2019 Barolo Cerretta is light in color and washed out in its flavors. There's just enough depth to keep this interesting, but less in the way of site character. I did note a less than perfect cork, an area where Azelia lags many of its peers these days.