Barolo and Barbaresco, June 12, 2021

This was our first tasting in person since March 2020. The evening offered perfect weather, warm with a pleasant breeze. The Gandara’s home had continued to grow more and more lovely each year, the wines were all rated 93-96 points and no one appeared to have missed the turnoff. Everyone was anticipating a beautiful evening of fun and celebration, and we were not disappointed.

After our pent-up need for hugs was eventually fulfilled, Vince and Karen surprised everyone with the announcement that they were married the night before in their backyard. With that news a toast was made and the celebration continued on.

These and many more photos may be viewed and downloaded at https://photos.app.goo.gl/hieXJhLU1vTXUbKd9.

Moving on …

The tasting itself was a single bottle format of 8 wines, Barolo and Barbaresco, all from the excellent 2016 vintage. As you know, these are the premier wines made from the nebbiolo grape in the Piedmont area in northern Italy. Although both are made from nebbiolo, there are interesting stylistic differences.

You may recall that the white burgundy tasting from the previous month resulted in the least expensive wine being ranked at #1. This tasting was not much different … The first ranked wine was the second least expensive.

The three bottles of Barolo had an average price of $58.00 and an average point score of 100.3. The five bottles of Barbaresco had an average price a little higher at $63.60 and an average point score of 105.4. Depending on your viewpoint, this either shows a slight preference for Barolo, or too close to call. The winner was Pina Serralunga Barolo ($37) with 78 points, closely followed by Produttori Barbaresco ($50) with 790 points. The Pio Cesare Barbaresco was by far the most expensive wine at $140, but came in last place.

Vote Summary:

Rank	Points	Wine (all 2016)	Price	Bottle
1	78	Pina Serralunga Barolo	$37	8
2	79	Produttori Barbaresco	$50	3
3	102	Paitin Barbaresco Serraboella	$50	6
4	105	Pio Cesare Barolo	$75	7
5	108	Cantina del lino Barbaresco	$48	4
6	118	La Spinetta Barolo Garretti	$62	2
6	118	Prinsi Barbaresco Gala Principe	$30	5
8	120	Pio Cesare Barbaresco	$140	1

The individual voting is shown below: