GWA Cellar Selection Tasting | Barolo 2018 - Ten Years on| Jan 13th 2028

Cellar Selection: Barolo 2018 – Ten Years On
 
 
We First Tasted These Wines in 2024. Now It's Time to See How They're Growing Up.
In 2024, we assembled a remarkable line-up of Barolos from the highly regarded 2018 vintage and explored them as young wines full of promise, structure and potential.
 
Ten years later, we are returning to exactly the same wines.
 
This tasting is more than simply a Barolo masterclass. It is an opportunity to witness one of the most fascinating aspects of fine wine: evolution.
 
The wines that were once youthful, tightly wound and dominated by primary fruit are now beginning to reveal the complexity, nuance and personality that make Barolo one of the world's most revered age-worthy wines.
 
 
For anyone who joined the original tasting, this is a unique opportunity to revisit old friends and discover how they have developed over the past decade.
 
 
For those new to the journey, it is a rare chance to compare five village and single-vineyard Barolos from the same vintage, all tasted at a point where they are beginning to transition from youth into maturity.
 
 
Few wine regions reward patience quite like Barolo.
 
 
Often described as the "King of Wines and the Wine of Kings", the finest examples can evolve for decades, gradually exchanging youthful power for layers of complexity, perfume and finesse.
This tasting has been designed to explore exactly that transformation.
 
Five Producers. Five Sites. One Vintage.
One of the greatest advantages of tasting wines from a single vintage is the ability to focus entirely on producer, vineyard and site differences.
 
 
With vintage conditions held constant, the personalities of the vineyards begin to shine through.
The 2018 vintage provides the perfect opportunity to do exactly that.
 
 
Together, these wines offer a fascinating snapshot of Barolo's most important communes and vineyard sites, allowing participants to compare different expressions of Nebbiolo while also examining how ten years of bottle age has shaped each wine.
 
 
The Wines
 
 
Curto Marco Arborina Barolo 2018 (100ml)
Rocche Costamagna Rocche dell'Annunziata Barolo 2018 (100ml)
Poderi Colla Dardi Le Rose Bussia Barolo 2018 (100ml)
Silvano Bolmida Le Coste di Monforte Barolo 2018 (100ml)
Famiglia Anselma Barolo del Comune di Monforte 2018 (100ml)
 
A Rare Opportunity to Study Wine Development
 
 
Most wine lovers rarely have the opportunity to follow the same wines over an extended period.
Even fewer have the chance to compare multiple producers from the same vintage side by side.
This tasting offers a unique insight into the ageing process and allows us to ask some fascinating questions:
 
 
How much have these wines changed over ten years?
Which producers have developed most successfully?
How has tannin evolved?
What new aromas and flavours have emerged?
Are these wines approaching their peak drinking window, or are they only just getting started?
Throughout the evening we will explore how Nebbiolo evolves with bottle age and why Barolo remains one of the world's greatest cellar-worthy wines.
 
 
The Experience
 
 
Your wines will be preserved using argon gas and prepared specifically for the tasting. Sample sizes vary according to availability, with some wines offered in smaller measures due to the limited quantities remaining in our cellar.
 
 
Join us live on Zoom for an in-depth two-hour guided tasting session, where we will explore the history, geography, soils, viticulture, winemaking and ageing potential of each wine. Along the way we will discuss why these wines matter, how they compare with their international peers and what makes them worthy of a place in a fine wine cellar.
 
 
The sessions are designed for both enthusiastic wine lovers and experienced wine students. Whether you are discovering these wines for the first time or returning to structured tasting after completing your studies, you will find plenty to enjoy.
 
 
Many of our alumni tell us that they miss the opportunity to taste and discuss wines in a focused environment. These sessions provide a chance to reconnect with those skills, revisit classic regions and benchmark your palate against a range of outstanding wines.
 
 
For those who wish to approach the tasting in a more structured way, WSET Systematic Approach to Tasting (SAT) notes can be provided on request.
 
 
To ensure a highly interactive experience, places are limited to a maximum of 12 participants. There will be plenty of opportunity to ask questions, discuss the wines and share observations throughout the evening.
 
 
All sessions are recorded and available to view for one month after the live event.
 
 
Pricing
 
 
We believe in being completely transparent about our pricing.
The cost of each Cellar Selection is based on the current market value of the wines included, together with delivery costs and a £25 tasting session fee.
 
 
In many cases, the wines being poured are mature vintages that are no longer widely available. The opportunity to taste them side by side, guided by an experienced educator and in the company of fellow enthusiasts, is what makes these evenings truly special.
 
 
UK  and EU delivery only at present. Wines will be dispatched during the week of the tasting.
 
Some of these wines will reappear in future tastings in the series so this may not be your only opportunity to try them.