Accademia del Barolo Auction and Truffle Dinner

The Accademia del Barolo is a relatively young organisation (founded in 1998 if I recall correctly) made up of 14 houses - Azelia, Michele Chiarlo, Conterno-Fantino, Damilano, Poderi Luigi Einaudi, Gianni Gagliardo, Franco Martinetti, Monfalletto, Cordero di Montezemolo, Pio Cesare, Prunotto, Luciano Sandrone, Paolo Scavino, Vietti, and Roberto Voerzio - with the mission of spreading knowledge and awareness of Barolo. This year, it brought its auction to Singapore, where it was organised in conjunction with a truffle-themed dinner at Gattopardo Restaurant paired with wines from a few of the producers. This was great fun. The prices bid were a bit silly, but the food and company were great.

The wines were mostly rather too young, but they were all of at least a pretty good standard, and it was nevertheless a good chance to taste through the wines of different makers and to compare styles and vintages. And with the very local Piedmontese ingredients used by the chef, most of the pairings were really spot-on helping to transform otherwise very youthful wines into much more enjoyable experiences. Great night all round.

• 2006 Cordero di Montezemolo Barolo Bricco Gattera 90 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  A well-crafted wine, but not quite my style of Barolo. The nose was definitely of the more modern, fruity variety, but it was nevertheless very nice and perfumy, with lots of violets, damson plums and black cherries, augmented by a waft of spice, smoke and some dried earth. Quite pretty actually with all that fruit and flowers. The palate was a bit too rich for me though. Like the nose, it was very fruity - full of blueberries, blackucrrants and cherries, with a little undertow of spice and smoke drifting into the finish. This was haunted by a bit of glycerol, but the balance was decent, with okay acidity and surprisingly plush tannins for such a young Barolo. Not bad overall, but not to my taste. I do see this getting better over the next decade or so though, so judgment withheld somewhat.

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• 2005 Damilano Barolo Cannubi 91 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  I liked this. It had a calmer, more traditional nose than the exuberantly fruity 2006 Cordero di Montezemolo on the same flight, showing nevertheless really attractive notes of pure cherries and darker plum fruit, some rosemary and thyme, and a classic twist of roses and tar at the sides. The palate was pleasing too. Here we got lovely bright flavours of black cherries on the attack, a shade of plums and a bit of raisins, all coated with a layer of fine tannins and bright acidity. It was yummy on the midpalate and finish too, with delicious motes of baking spices - cinamon, nutmeg and cloves - leading into a gently sweet finish with a linger of black fruit. Very nice, and while made in a slightly more easy-drinking style, it should benefit from another 10 years at least in the bottle.

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• 2004 Gianni Gagliardo Barolo Serre 90 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  The first of the 2004s on the night, and possibly the weakest. Still though, this was a decently good. I liked the nose, with its little rings of tar and smoke blowing through a core of black cherries and berry notes and a more savoury base of earth and meat. With time, it bloomed out into a lovely rose-petal-filled perfume. Enjoyable palate too, with ripe tannins and well-integrated acidity wrapped around rather tight, but still noticeably lush notes of black cherries and berries. These too were wreathed in a pretty floral cloak on the attack. Past that, a meaty midpalate drifted away into a yummy finish kissed by a savoury touch of black olives, earth and a hint of smoke. Still way too young of course, this is a twenty year wine, but I still enjoyed it on the night with a truffle-cream dish.

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• 2004 Poderi Luigi Einaudi Barolo Cannubi 91 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  Like its flight-mate, the 2004 Gagliardo Serre, this was decently good without being great. The nose was a bit tight even though this had been decanted for some time, with subtle notes of smoke tar, earth and a bit of furry, meaty notes hanging around slightly sweeter notes of black fruit and roses. The palate was surprisingly a lot more open though, and drinking quite early for a 2004 Barolo. This had fleshy black fruit, shading from blackcurrants to blackberries, and then some black olives in a nicely spicy, earthy undertone. Quite charming and light-footed I thought, but perhaps lacking the substance of the better 2004s in the next flight. It finished as it begain, with a touch of tar and olives soaked in some chewy tannins. Surprisingly forward I thought, but this will of course still improve over the next decade or more.

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• 2004 Prunotto Barolo Bussia 92 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  A solid Barolo. Perhaps the tightest of the lot we tried on the night, and the most rustic too, but this was certainly a wine of quality. I liked the nose - it was deeper and darker than anything we had encountred on the previous flighs, with reams of spice swimming around notes of dark cherries and plums, meat and dried earth. Quite a bit of intensity in that bouquet actually. The palate was still very tight though. A classic 2004, with lots of depth and density wed to deeply buried muscle and structure, it showed ripe tannins and good acidity running a deep stream below subtle flavours of dark berries, black cherries and a nice meaty undertone. Decent finish too, with the tiniest hint of tar and spice and a little truffley note lingering lightly in the backpalate. This was healthy potential locked up in a rather monolithic package. It will reward patience in the cellar though - try again in 2020.

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• 2004 Vietti Barolo Castiglione 93 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  This was an excellent young Barolo that beat out quite a few rather more expensive examples to be our table's favourite of the night. It had a lovely nose, with smoke and tar, blueberries and dark cherries, a touch of violets and the slightest hint of truffles - great stuff. Loved the palate too. It was still a bit drying, but had the finest tannin structure and superbly integrated acidity weaving though pure flavours of black cherries, blueberries and a hint of violets. A supremely elegant effort I thought. It finished well too, with a little bit of meaty earth under the fruit and a lovely waft of pretty florals drifting away above. With a bit of time, the fruit peeled away to reveal a solid core of spice and mineral. Beautiful stuff - this will be great in 8-10 years' time.

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• 2003 Michele Chiarlo Barolo Cerequio 90 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  This was alright I thought. Quite good, but ultimately just a bit unconvincing. What a nose it had though, just bursting out of the glass with violets and roses, red cherries and berries, and some musky, perfumy dried flower aromas rounded off with a touch of herbs and the slightest hint of tar which grew increasingly smoky over time - a sweetly seductive melange with a hint of smoky mystery to it. Really nice stuff. Unfortunately, as is sometimes the case with 2003 at this point of their evolution, the palate delivered rather less than promised on the nose. It was nice and bright, with yummy but rather light-weighted flavours of cherries and red berries at the fore. It finished okay too, with quite a bit charm, but rather lacking in conviction, drifing away with bits of spice, a touch of earth and a hint if truffle. With time some smokey, coffee ground notes came out right at the tail. I kinda liked this. It was enjoyable even this early on in its life, but it was just a bit lacking in depth and presence I thought. It may improve with time though - this is one to try again in 4-5 years.

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• 2003 Franco M. Martinetti Barolo Marasco 91 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  Like the 2003 Chiarlo Cerequio that preceded it, this was a pretty pleasant wine without threatening to be anything special. I thought this was just a tad better though. It had a very 2003 nose, with toasty aromas of dried earth and pain grille, sweet spices and roasted fruits, surrounded by a halo of perfumy dried flowers. Very nice though. The palate was not quite as strong, but quite delicious in its own way. I found it really forward for a Barolo not even past its first decade, with fresh flavours of sweet berries and maraschino cherries carrying some depth and a decent amount of purity on them. Towards the finish, some oak influence became evident, with vanilla and coffee notes flecked by some smoke as the wine glided into a lengthy tail. Again, this was a bit on the light-side, a touch modern, but really quite pleasant. It should be quite early drinking too, actually doing quite well on the night. I think another few years in the bottle and this should be quite ready to drink with the correct food.

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• 2000 Poderi Luigi Einaudi Barolo Cannubi 92 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  Very enjoyable. We were greeted with a very forward, expressive nose on this wine, with nice, rich notes of blueberries and dark cherries with almost a touch of liquer on them, and then aromas of earth and meat sprinkled with a touch of roses. Nice stuff. Like the nose, the palate was also rather forward, quite fruity, with sweet notes of blackberries and black cherries wed to a nice savoury bit of earth and meat. Unlike the 1996 Scavino on the same flight or the 2004s that preceded it, this was not exactly fresh or bright, but it was still very nicely balanced and well-structured with slightly grainy tannins and a decent bit of integrated acidity. It finished quite nicely as well, with some smoke and a touch of tar speared through with a stony mineral note. Good stuff, and possibly the most ready wine of the night. Well-paired with braised beef cheek too. This can be drunk now with a nice meat dish, but should really start showing well in another 3-4 years time.

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• 1996 Paolo Scavino Barolo Carobric 92 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  From a double-magnum, this was one of the better wines of the night. However, given the slight austerity of the vintage and the glacial pace of aging in the 3L format, this was quite some ways away from being quite ready to drink. I must say that it had a really nice nose though, with earthy, meaty accents and subtle hints of tar riding amongst dark-fruited notes of black cherries and berries. The palate was fresh and lively with the acidity of the vintage, and in spite of the plump fruit notes of blackberries, cherries and maybe even sour plums, it was still in the grip of fine tannins, especially as the wine moved into a more classically austere finish than one would normally relate with the house. The wine clearly had great qualities though - purity of fruit, depth, fineness of structure, fresh acidity - and it was started to knit together very well too, making it a lovely companion for a braised beef cheek dish. However, given the structure on this, I would really wait another 10 years, at least in the double-magnum format that it came in, where it could well last for decades beyond that. Good stuff though.

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