“Barolo en primeur”, 15 barriques and 1.200 bottles of Barolo 2021 to be auctioned

“Barolo en Primeur” is the International solidarity auction promoted by Cassa di Risparmio di Cuneo Foundation and CRC Donare Foundation, together with the Protection Consortium Barolo Barbaresco Alba Langhe Dogliani, to be held this year on October 28th, in the setting of Grinzane Cavour Castle. Christie's, simultaneously with New York, will auction 14 out of the 15 barriques of the historic Vigna Gustava 2021 harvest (rated by Antonio Galloni, wine critic and CEO of Vinous, 92-94 / 100), previously owned and vinified by Count Camillo Benso, and considered an iconic location in the Langhe area. Each barrique will support a solidarity or social interest project (a year ago, the auction collected 600.000 euros). The 15th barrique will be auctioned at the Alba White Truffle World Auction, at Grinzane Cavour Castle, in live streaming with Hong Kong. The proceeds will be donated to the International charity, “Mother's Choice”, which has been helping orphaned children and young women in difficulty since 1987.
Besides the 15 barriques, as Matteo Ascheri, president of the Consorzio Barolo Barbaresco Alba Langhe Dogliani told WineNews (here is the report, https://winenews.it/it/dalla-vigna-gustava-del-conte-di -cavour-le-pieces-di-barolo-en-primeur-2022_471500 /), over 70 member producers of the Consortium for the Protection of Barolo Barbaresco Alba Langhe and Dogliani, will donate 1.200 bottles divided into 10 municipal lots, of their finest bottles of Barolo and Barbaresco, from the 2021 harvest. The “Barolo En Primeur" project has thus become accessible to a wider audience of donors. The auction base of the municipal lots ranges from 2.000 euros for the lot of the Municipalities of Treiso and Alba (36 bottles and 6 Jeroboams) to 18.000 euros for the Barolo Municipality lot (192 bottles, 37 Magnums and 7 Jeroboams). The proceeds from the municipal lots will be donated to the Alba Enological School, which has always used the Gustava vineyard for hands on training students, the new generation of Italian wine making.
In addition to the solidarity aspect of the "Barolo en Primeur" auction, there are many other levels including the no less important artistic aspect. In 2025, the 300 bottles that each barrique produces, as well as the bottles of the producers, will be delivered to the successful bidders, numbered and labeled with the art work "Rosa del Terzo Paradiso - 2022", by Michelangelo Pistoletto, leader and organizer of the Arte Povera Artistic Movement. The art work starts from the symbol of the Third Paradise (consisting in two circles meeting in the third central circle, which puts them in a dynamic relationship), multiplied by three, maintaining a single central circle. The design represents a wheel of “Terzi Paradisi”, and suggests the shape of a rose.
“More than 70 wineries have joined the initiative and their enthusiasm”, Matteo Ascheri, president of the Consortium for the Protection of Barolo Barbaresco Alba Langhe Dogliani, commented, “confirms that we are on the right path — having the entire"Barolo and Barbaresco System” participate in an innovative project. The reputation of Barolo and Barbaresco at National and International levels guarantees significant resources for projects of collective interest, and entering the fine wine sector in an organized manner”.