Barolo! Oh Barolo! This is the king of Italian wines, noble and rewarding of cellaring and savouring.

We don’t naturally think of Pinot Noir, Tempranillo and Nebbiolo in the same moment, but take a fine, well-matured Burgundy, Rioja or Barolo and serve it blind, and they have enough in common to confound even an experienced taster. All three converge in a happy way to deliver dried fruit, tea, fungus and positive decay (‘tar and roses’ is a classic Barolo description). And while Nebbiolo has a naturally tannic sting in its tail, paired carefully with the right food and it is a welcome element rather than a distraction. And much like its French and Spanish cousins, Nebbiolo has the delicacy to portray its terroir, making the differences between its soils and slopes a reward for the connoisseur.

Tonight’s selection took years to assemble, to carefully weave three ideas into one dinner - 

• “Barolo” as a grand blend of different terroirs versus "Barolo Crus”, separating individual zones, and vineyard plots.
• Evolving ideas of winemaking — botti versus barrique, or some combination
• Vintages and ageing – our youngest wine is from 2001 and we stretch back 50 years.
• The very greatest producers are well represented here across a range of styles. So whether you are already a Barolophile with many albeisas under your belt, or are coming in fresh to see what Barolo is all about, this is an evening of much promise.