The First-Ever Barolo En Primeur Auction 2021: Wines, Results

by Elaine Lau

The first-ever Barolo En Primeur Charity Auction, held on October 30th, 2021, raised over $660,000.

This charity auction gave investors an excellent opportunity to get their hands on rare and authentic Barolos while supporting a good cause.

Let’s discover all about the Barolo En Primeur Charity Auction, the spectacular wines sold, why you should invest in en primeur wines, and how to do it easily through Vinovest.

The Barolo En Primeur 2021 Auction

The Barolo En Primeur Charity Wine Auction was held in Grinzane Cavour Castle, overlooking the Gustava vineyard, and was live-streamed in New York. It featured 15 excellent barriques of 2020 vintage Barolos.

Who organized the Barolo En Primeur 2021 Auction?

Matteo Ascheri (President of the Consortium For The Protection Of Barolo Barbaresco Alba Langhe Dogliani) organized the auction in collaboration with the CRC Foundation and the CRC Donare Foundation (CRC’s Piedmont-based charitable foundation.)

The CRC Foundation (or Fondazione CRC) acquired the Gustava vineyard in Grinzane Cavour through the CRC Donare Foundation.

Cristiano De Lorenzi from Christie’s auction house was the auctioneer at this prestigious Grinzane Cavour event. It was live-streamed to New York City, where Antonio Galloni (wine critic for Vinous and formerly for The Wine Advocate) hosted the event.

The Patroness of the event was Evelina Christillin, the president of the Museum Of Egyptian Antiquities Foundation in Turin.

Which charities did the Barolo En Primeur 2021 Auction support?

The proceeds of each barrique went to various social projects and charitable causes selected by the Fondazione CRC and the CRC Donare Foundation.

Some of these social projects include the promotion and recovery of the Alta Langa landscape of the Alta Langa Cultural Park, and the project of approaching contemporary art and sustainability for children and families.

Every barrique had around 300 bottles of wine. Each bottle will be labeled with contemporary art drawn by the famous Italian artist Giuseppe Penone. Giuseppe Penone’s labels depict a vine leaf joined to a human hand - indicating the bond between wine and producer.

Not only that, but the winners of each lot also received NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens) created using Antonio Galloni’s tasting notes.

Barolo En Primeur 2021 Auction Results

Cristiano De Lorenzo started the bidding at $30,000 a barrique. By the end of the event, the auction raised over $660,000 - around $139 a bottle.

The most generous donation was made for the 15th barrique that auctioned for approximately $156,000.

Ezio Raviola, Vice President of the CRC Foundation, commented, “Barolo en primeur's success is a source of great satisfaction for the CRC Foundation.”

The Barolo En Primeur 2021 Auction: The Wines

Wine production was overseen by Donato Lanati’s ENOSIS Meraviglia Laboratory, in conjunction with Matteo Ascheri (President of the Barolo Barbaresco Alba Langhe Dogliani Consortium.)

Donato Lanati carefully oversaw the wine production to highlight the complexity and diversity of the Gustava vineyard, located right next to Grinzane Cavour Castle.

The Gustava Vineyard is divided into four “macro plots” based on altitude and exposure. Donato Lanati vinified each plot separately according to vine age.

Here are the 15 different wines and their tasting notes:

2020 Barolo Gustava Number 1
2020 Barolo Gustava Number 2
2020 Barolo Gustava Number 3
2020 Barolo Gustava Number 4
2020 Barolo Gustava Number 5
2020 Barolo Gustava Number 6
2020 Barolo Gustava Number 7
2020 Barolo Gustava Number 8
2020 Barolo Gustava Number 9
2020 Barolo Gustava Number 10
2020 Barolo Gustava Number 11
2020 Barolo Gustava Number 12
2020 Barolo Gustava Number 13
2020 Barolo Gustava Number 14
2020 Barolo Gustava Number 15

1. 2020 Barolo Gustava Number 1

This medium-bodied vintage Barolo has crushed flowers and sweet red berry aromas. It has cedar, pine, and mint flavors with a lingering tobacco finish.

2. 2020 Barolo Gustava Number 2

Darker and more virile than Number 1, this Italian wine shows terrific depth with concentrated black fruit flavors and prominent tannin textures.

3. 2020 Barolo Gustava Number 3

Barrique Number 3 has crushed flowers, white pepper, and blood orange aromas on the nose. It’s a silky-smooth Barolo with a light body and spice flavors.

4. 2020 Barolo Gustava Number 4

This fine wine offers a medium body with sweet red fruit, tobacco, and cedar flavors. It has incisive tannins, but a few more years of aging will do this wine well.

5. 2020 Barolo Gustava Number 5

Loaded with tension and energy, this vintage Italian wine offers sweet red cherry and mint aromas with ethereal rose petal flavors.

6. 2020 Barolo Gustava Number 6

Number 6 is a hard and tannic Barolo that needs some time to reach its peak. It’s a medium-bodied wine with some fruit flavor and a minerally finish.

7. 2020 Barolo Gustava Number 7

This silky vintage Barolo has crushed rose petals and spice aromas on the nose. Orange peel, star anise spice, and exotic fruit flavors dominate the palate.

8. 2020 Barolo Gustava Number 8

This Barolo wine shows more depth than Number 7 but retains its medium-bodied structure. It has dark cherry and plum fruit flavors with old leather and spice aromas on the nose.

9. 2020 Barolo Gustava Number 9

Here’s a young vintage Barolo that showcases incredible finesse. It has strong tannin textures, concentrated fruit flavors, and dark cherry aromas that dominate the nose.

10. 2020 Barolo Gustava Number 10

With rose petals, licorice, and tar aromas on the nose, this fine wine has sweet red cherry and asphalt flavors on the palate with fleshy tannin textures.

11. 2020 Barolo Gustava Number 11

Incisive tannins wrap around a core of red fruit, rose petal, and lavender flavors. This Italian wine has bright energy and a saline finish.

12. 2020 Barolo Gustava Number 12

This vintage Barolo wine has pink rose petals and spice aromas on the nose. It has a viscous mouthfeel with terrific depth and ripe red fruit flavors.

13. 2020 Barolo Gustava Number 13

Number 13 is a powerful and austere wine with cedar, tobacco, and dried flower aromas on the nose. It’s a savory, textured wine with licorice and sweet red fruit flavors.

14. 2020 Barolo Gustava Number 14

Virile, deep, and persistent, this fine wine has dark red cherry and plum fruit flavors with hints of silky rose petals. Floral and spice notes provide harmony to a balanced finish.

15. 2020 Barolo Gustava Number 15

This wine has crushed rose petals, spice, sage, and mint aromas on the nose. It’s a medium-bodied wine with red fruit and blood-orange flavors on the palate.

But, the question is:

Why Should You Invest In En Primeur Wines?

Here are two key reasons to buy en primeur wines:

You get access to rare vintage wines at discounted prices, maximizing your profits.
It allows you to purchase wine in unusual formats like magnum or double magnum bottles.

Before the Barolo En Primeur 2021 Auction, wine collectors could purchase Barolo en primeur from famous Barolo sites like La Morra, Serralunga dAlba, Castiglione Falletto, and Aldo Vajra through Piedmont en primeur auctions.

Here’s how the en primeur system works:

Producers organize wine tastings while the wines are still aging in barrels.
Critics score the wines and indicate how they think they will age.
Producers sell the wines to brokers.
Brokers sell the wines to customers (before they’re ready for bottling.)
Once the wine is released, customers can share their delivery information and receive the wines, or ask the brokers to sell them on their behalf.

But, the process is not as straightforward as it seems.

Want to know the easiest way to invest in en primeur wines?

How To Invest In En Primeur Wines

You’ll have to find a trustworthy broker with a good track record of selling en primeur wines to ensure you earn good profits. Also, you’ll have to find a bonded, temperature-controlled warehouse to store your Barolo en primeur wine.

Luckily, a trusted wine investment company like Vinovest makes buying and selling fine en primeur wines super-easy with its Artificial Intelligence-based online platform.

Here’s what you need to do:

Sign up on the website.
Answer some quick questions to determine your investment preferences and risk tolerance.
Add funds to your account (a minimum of $1,000.)
Start building a rewarding wine portfolio of Barolo and other en primeur wines.

Vinovest’s master sommeliers and wine advisors choose and authenticate investment-grade wines (including en primeur.) Vinovest will also store them in bonded, temperature-controlled warehouses.

Once your Barolo Riserva or any other fine wine reaches its peak, Vinovest will also help you sell it to the right buyer.

Invest In En Primeurs And Wine Bottles Through Vinovest

The success of the first-ever Barolo En Primeur Charity Auction shines light on the potential for future events. In fact, the planning for the next installment of Barolo en primeur is already underway.

Sign up with Vinovest and invest in Barolo Riserva, Langhe Nebbiolo, and other fine wines from La Morra, Castiglione Falletto, Aldo Vajra, and Serralnuga dAlba.

The best part?

You can do it from anywhere in the world, be it Hong Kong, New York City, New Zealand, or South Africa.