Wednesday, April 24th, 2019 — This tasting will be a treat for Nebbiolo lovers. Barolo and Barbaresco are the premier wine DOCGs for Nebbiolo, located in the Langhe region, which is part of Piedmont.

Register online

Nebbiolo is a stand-out grape with a dramatic flavor profile – “tar and roses” is the headline. Its rich flavor profile also includes anise, spices, cherries plums. As it ages, tertiary flavors evolve with prunes, leather, dried flowers, and menthol.  Barbarescos are made on land that has a lower elevation and are produced in an area closer to the river.  For both of these reasons, the growing conditions are warmer than those of Barolos.  As a consequence of this warmer environment, the aging requirements are less (2 years instead of 3) as they do not need as long to mature before they are ready to drink.

Historically, these wines were sometimes referred to respectively as the King and Queen of Nebbiolo. More recently, dedicated growers in Barbaresco have upped the ante and the wines can stand on a more equal footing with Barolo. You can judge that for yourself at the tasting.

Our wines are all from the 2006 vintage. Jancis Robinson wrote that it was a cooler summer followed by an Indian summer punctuated by some rain, but the grapes were healthy enough to withstand that; she rated the vintage as promising. Berry Brothers currently rate it a 10 (out of 10) and “drink or hold”. Robert Parker classifies the 2006 vintage as “extraordinary”.

We have four wines from each DOCG (plus our mystery, of course, which could be just about anything, so you can have fun identifying it). The line up includes top producers like Paolo Scavino (Cannubi) and Azelia (Bricco Fiasco) in Barolo and Marches di Grésy (Martinenga) in Barbaresco. The full list of wines is below.

These are serious wines and this should be a stunning tasting. For example, The Cannubi was given 17.5 points in 2016 (‘above superior’) on Purple Pages “On the palate, there is the perfect balance between fruit, coating tannins, and melting acidity, but on the whole, this is still very closed. Built for eternity? Elegant mid-weight palate. Drink 2018-2036”. Another measure of the wines’ quality is that their prices have more than doubled since we acquired them (mostly in 2011). All of these wines are at or close to the point of being ready to drink, but still with plenty of life ahead of them.

List of wines

• Barolo, Cannubi – Paolo Scavino 2006
• Barolo, La Serra – Marcarini 2006
• Barolo, Bricco Fiasco – Azelia 2006
• Barolo, Brunate – Andrea Oberto 2006
• Barbaresco, Froi Riserva – Massimo Rivetti 2006
• Barbaresco, Chiaramonte – Ca’ Rome 2006
• Barbaresco, Rombone – Nada Fiorenzo 2006
• Barbaresco, Martinenga – Marchesi Di Grésy 2006

Date: April, 24th, 2019
Time: 6:45 p.m.
Limit: 60 people
Members: $85*
Guests: $99*

*Price including HST

North York Memorial Community Hall
5110 Yonge St. (under library)
North York Centre Subway

GST/HST account: 844742619 RT0001
Business Name: Winetasters Society of Toronto

Cancellations accepted up to April 19, 2019 — (Cindy Taylor, 416.458.3147 evenings only). No reservations by phone, please. No mail confirmations will be issued — you will be contacted only if we are sold out. First come basis.