Barbaresco 2011: The Queen of Piedmont
presented by Michael Palij MW
at Hogan Lovells International LLP, Atlantic House, Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2FG
on Wednesday 25th April 2018 at 7:00 pm
Piedmont was, even before the days of Italian unification and King Victor Emmanuel II, long associated with royalty. In the world of Italian wine, the most regal of grapes is the ancient and revered Nebbiolo, which finds its two greatest expressions on the rolling slopes of this region of North Western Italy in the glorious wines of Barolo and Barbaresco. Barbaresco is one of Italy’s top wines, yet some wine drinkers favoured Barolo, its larger and more renowned neighbour.
Barbaresco has in recent years stepped up its game, in part due to a new generation of winemakers who are producing ever higher quality wines and in part due to the region’s unique microclimate which encourages freshness and balance in its Nebbiolo grapes,well demonstrated by the 2011 vintage. A hot growing season was balanced by cool nights and an early harvest of the generally late-ripening Nebbiolo, resulting in what James Suckling (Wine Spectator) described as “a beautiful vintage for Barbaresco”. Today, Barbaresco is truly first among equals.
We are delighted once again to welcome Michael Palij MW to present to us a truly exciting selection of some of Italy’s finest wines (appropriately, on Italy’snational holiday: Il Giorno della Liberazione(Liberation Day)). Michael is well-known to members as an expert guide to Italian wines and producers. Concentrating on the comune of Barbaresco itself, we will not neglect the two other comuni fully within the Barbaresco DOCG: Treiso (known for elegant and perfumed wines) and Neive (where the statesman Count Cavour produced robust Nebbiolo wines for the new nation he helped to forge). Our enticing selection of wines outlined below includesalmost exclusively ‘cru’ winesfrom geographically defined sites and offers examples of both traditional and more modern stylesfrom several producers described as “outstanding” by Hugh Johnson and Jancis Robinson MW:
Produttori del Barbaresco, Barbaresco / Nada Fiorenzo, Rombone (Treiso)Cascina Luisin, Asili / Sottimano, Pajorè (Treiso)
Cascina Luisin, Rabajà / Marchesi di Grésy, Martinenga
Cigliuti, Serraboella (Neive) / Roagna, Pajè
How do I apply for tickets?
The tasting offers excellent value for such fine wines, aged and ready to enjoy: member tickets are £50 and guest tickets are £55. To order and pay for tickets via your SWS online membership account, please use this link:
Alternatively, please turn over for details of how to apply for tickets by email or post.
Next tasting: 2010 White Burgundy with David Roberts MW (preceded by the Society’s AGM).
How do I apply and pay for tickets?
Ideally via your SWS online membership account!
Here’s the link:
If you haven’t already done so, you will need to create a password before you can log in. Your username is the email address used for your SWS emails.
E-mail and banktransfer
Pleaseapplyforyour ticket(s)byemail to , indicating thetasting and thenumberofmembertickets (£50)and thenumberof guesttickets (£55) for which you areapplying. For security reasons,youmustprovidethenamesofyourguestsprior to the tasting.
Please arrange a bank transfer for the full amount of your application to the following account:
Accountname:SolicitorsWineSociety-TastingsAccount
Sortcode:30-95-74
Accountnumber:44527360
Reference: [your name]- Barbaresco (e.g. “Smith-Barbaresco”)
Ticketswillnot beallocated until paymenthasbeen received in full.Theorganiser will notifyyou by emailofyour ticketnumber(s)when ticketshave been allocated.Pleasenotethatpayment does notguaranteeaticketallocation. Ifyour application isunsuccessful,yourpaymentwill berefunded,for which you willneedtosupplyyour bankaccount details.
Postaccompaniedbycheque
Alternatively,please printor photocopyanother copyofthispage,completetheform belowand return it,togetherwithyour chequeand astamped addressed envelopeor aprinted email address, to:Timothy Parsons, Bracewell (UK) LLP, Level 26, Tower 42, 25 Old Broad Street, London EC2N 1HQ.
I, ______(phone and email
……………………………..) apply for ticket(s) at £50 for member(s) and ………. ticket(s) at £55 for guests for the 2011Barbarescotasting on Wednesday 25th April 2018.
Nameof guest(s)
For reasonsofsecurityatthe venue,thisinformationmustbeprovidedtotheorganiserbeforethedate of thetasting.