“Like a lot of people in the wine world, Scott Torrence has been keeping an eye on Barolo. Torrence – a vice president and senior wine specialist at Christie’s, and a collector of Italian wine – watched as the best of these noble Piedmont reds went from easy-to-find and reasonably priced just 10 years ago to scarce and selling for hundreds of dollars a bottle today.

“After the boom in Bordeaux and then Burgundy, Barolo appears to be the next focus for the global collector market, which means prices will continue to soar.

“Where we are in Barolo right now is where we were in 2005 before the Burgundy market took off,” Torrence says. “I mean, in 2005, Burgundy looked expensive, but today they look stupidly cheap.”

“You don’t have to be a collector to take advantage of the moment. When we asked Torrence to name five Barolos that offer the best value, he chose bottles made in the classic style by the region’s most accomplished winemakers. Made with 100 percent Nebbiolo, the wines are dry and savory, with more meaty flavors than fruit, and a rusticity that reflects a strong sense of place. All are tannic and long-lived, and as far as vintages, he says, “These are at the pinnacle of the game. Whatever the current vintage is, it’s an absolute ‘buy it.'”

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