The past few months I have been spending a ton of time in Piedmont, not in Italy but rather tasting many of the great wines of its two most prominent regions, Barbaresco and Barolo.

While there are many great wine regions in Italy, few would argue that Barolo and Barbaresco are not among the best, but that has not always been the case. While wine and agriculture have been the basis of the local economy for centuries, the wines were not known outside of the region and were all consumed locally.

That started to change in the mid-19th Century when the railroad came to Piedmont, enabling the great wines of the region to be more easily transported beyond the immediate area. The region quickly became popular for its wines and by the mid-20th Century had gained the reputation as the best wines on the peninsula.

Thus, when the country’s wine regions began to be codified and regulated, Barolo and Barbaresco were the first two regions to be given DOC status (“Denominazione di Origine Controllata” or Controlled Designation of Origin) in 1966. A little over a decade later, the two regions were the first to receive DOCG status as well (“Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita” or Controlled and Guaranteed Designation of Origin.

So when I was offered to attend the Barolo and Barbaresco Academy (a guided sit-down tasting of 30 wines), I jumped at the chance to(I actually got in my car and drove downtown, but you get the idea).

After a few wines from the broader “Langhe” DOC region and then a handful of wines from Barbaresco, both 100% Nebbiolo, we zeroed in on eighteen wines from Barolo.

2021 Bricco Carlina Raviole, Barolo, Piedmont, Italy: Retail $75(?). 100% Nebbiolo. Medium to light color. Lovely nose. Dried and ripe cherry together on the nose it is perfumed and simply delightful. Whoa. The palate boasts intense ripe cherry and impressive weight with plenty of tartness to balance out all that fruit. Whoa. Lengthy finish. Rich and lovely. Quite impressive. Outstanding. 95 Points.

2021 Gianfranco Bovio, Barolo Arborina, Piedmont, Italy: Retail $65. 100% Nebbiolo. There are 181 MGAs (“Menzioni Geografiche Aggiuntive” or Additional Geographic Mentions; I dunno, “Cru” or “Lieux-Dits” seem much more romantic), and Arborina has been described as the “Quintessential MGA in La Morra”. OK. I’ll go with that. Light to medium in color with a saltier nose. Lighter in fruit, mostly dried cherry. With tons of acidity and medium tannins. Quite good, but lacking the oomph I would like to see. Very Good. 89 Points.

2020 Mauro Molino, Barolo, Piedmont, Italy: Retail $45. 100% Nebbiolo. Light to medium color with a muted nose. Almost on the verge of medicinal. Rather lacking in fruit but nice acidity and soft tannins. Very Good. 88 Points.

We then moved on to several Barbarescos…

2020 Cantina del Nebbiolo, Barolo, Piedmont, Italy: Retail $45. 100% Nebbiolo. Medium color with a rich nose of ripe black cherry and plenty of perfume (rose). Perfectly pleasant with subtle fruit but aggressive acidity, particularly on the midpalate. Spice comes in before the finish. Excellent. 91 Points.

2020 Luca Marenco, Barolo, Piedmont, Italy: Retail $45. 100% Nebbiolo. From a cooperative in the Langhe. Deep ruby color with more of a cranberry than cherry vibe both on the nose and palate. Zingy and Lucious on the palate with plenty of tartness on the mid-palate and noticeable tannins on the finish. Nice. Excellent. 90 Points.

2020 Bosco Pierangelo, Barolo Boiolo, Piedmont, Italy: Retail $40. 100% Nebbiolo. A richer ruby color in the glass that is quite perfumed, even intensely so, with a distinct balsamic note. Good red berry fruit on the palate with nice balance and a bit of spice. Lovely. Excellent. 92 Points.

Master Sommelier Steven McDonald led us through the tasting.

2020 Alberto Voerzio, Barolo La Serra, Piedmont, Italy: Retail $95. A bit lighter ruby in color with nice aromatics: fresh cherry and a touch of earth. For me this is a quintessential, right-down-the-middle Barolo with good fruit but might be lacking in acidity just a bit. Nice finish. Excellent. 91 Points.

2020 Ca’ Viola, Barolo Sotto Castello di Novello, Piedmont, Italy: Retail $70. Medium ruby color in the glass with a sweet ripe nose of maraschino cherry and perfumed rose. I’d have to say it’s a tad flabby, particularly in this lineup. But there is good fruit and plenty of weight. Just needs acid. Very Good. 89 Points.

2020 Podere Gagliassi, Barolo Badarina, Piedmont, Italy: Retail $75. Medium to dark in color with black cherry and cranberry notes on the nose. Classic. That transfers to the palate with that classic dried red fruit, nice balancing acidity, and some subtle tannins. Nice. Excellent. 92 Points.