From Vigna Gustava, which belonged to the Count of Cavour, 15 lots of “Barolo en primeur” at auction

A wine that does not exist yet, produced from a 4-hectare vineyard which, in the opposite, existed already in the mid-nineteenth century, sold en primeur, at auction, to support many charitable, social, artistic, and cultural initiatives. Here are the central points of “Barolo en Primeur” 2022, the charity auction promoted by the Cassa di Risparmio di Cuneo Foundation and the Barolo Consortium which, on 28 October, from the Castle of Grinzane Cavour, and in connection with Antonio Galloni, CEO Vinous, from New York, will bring under the hammer of Christie’s the 15 barrels of Barolo 2021 produced from the grapes of Vigna Gustava, situated on the slopes of the Grinzane Cavour Castel, already planted when the property was owned by Count Camillo Benso. Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Italy, the Count of Cavour played a fundamental role in the future success of Barolo, and Vigna Gustava was already his flagship, recovered and relaunched by the Cassa di Risparmio di Cuneo Foundation. Which has entrusted the production process, from the vineyard to the cellar, to the Enosis Meraviglia Laboratory of Donato Lanati, winemaker and signature figure of some of the greatest Italian wines, starting with Giacomo Conterno’s Monfortino.
“We have divided Vigna Gustava into 15 parcels, which we vinify separately. Each of them gives different results and expresses different characters. Even greater variability in the comparison between the two vintages”, Donato Lanati tells WineNews, from the tasting of the barrel samples of Barolo 2021 that will give shape to the 15 lots protagonists of “Barolo en primeur”, a vintage that, in the glass, already shows a potential greater than 2020. The project, which in 2021 raised 660,000 euros, looks at the example of the Hospices de Beaune, but “with no intention of copying anything, we are only at the first steps, and we know we have a long way to go in front of us. But also, an important challenge, is that of making known the wines of Vigna Gustava which, in fact, do not exist yet and will not be available until 2024. In this context, the participation of the producers of the Barolo Consortium will also be very important, with the wineries united under the name of the production Municipality that will auction lots from the 2021 harvest”, comments Matteo Ascheri, president of the Barolo Consortium.