(Mostly) Barolo Dinner
Osteria Langhe - Chicago IL
Tasted Tuesday, October 7, 2014 by Burgundy Al with 728 views
Introduction
Thanks to Jim Mack for coordinating this excellent tasting and dinner, focusing on nicely aged wine from the Piedmont at a fairly new and well respected Italian restaurant off the beaten path.
2006 Pierre Péters Champagne Grand Cru Cuvée Speciale Blanc de Blancs Les Chetillons 92 Points
France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru
Exactly like another bottle from a few weeks ago, this has great, fresh orchard fruit and faint hints of toasted brioche. Lots of power and concentration, this is very easy to enjoy.
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NV Krug Champagne Brut Grande Cuvée 91 Points
France, Champagne
Orchard fruit aromas and flavors with good concentration, well accompanied by lots of toasted sourdough bread. Very good now, very good always.
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2000 Cordero di Montezemolo Barolo Vigna Enrico VI 89 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Forward fruit showing red and black cherry on nose and palate. Anise and rose hints, overall accessible and fun. Not lots of nuance, but easy to enjoy.
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1971 Cordero di Montezemolo Barolo Monfalletto
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Popped and poured. Started slightly tired, got much more tired and uninteresting very quickly.
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1961 Marchesi di Barolo Barolo 91 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Popped and poured. Very dark color for its age. Started rather austere. All black fruit with modest spice became accessible and enjoyable within 5-10 minutes, then peaked at 20-25 minutes. Much less interesting once in glass 40 minutes.
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1978 Paolo Scavino Barolo 94 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Alluring aromatic start showing dried rose petals, cloves and licorice. Palate was slightly muted to start, then more savory, umami character really started emerging within 10-15 minutes. Lots of well cooked mushroom. My 2nd favorite wine tonight, group's 2nd favorite as well.
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1985 Paolo Scavino Barolo Cannubi 89 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Perhaps this got slightly lost between the Scavino 1978's alluring mature charm and the Scavino 1990 Cannubi's power and intensity. I found the aromas to be be forward and fresh, palate more advanced. Moderate intensity and nuance.
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1990 Paolo Scavino Barolo Cannubi 93 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Huge red and black cherry with lots of spice and earthy hints. Fruit kept evolving in glass, picking up more complexity. Seemed ripe and fat to start, lots of nuance and texture kept coming through with more time in glass. This will keep getting better.
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1990 Fratelli Seghesio Barolo Vigneto la Villa 91 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
This was open and quickly double decanted 4 hours before serving. All black fruit here with lots of forward and rich spice everywhere. Long and powerful, less nuanced than the Scavino 1990 in the next glass. Good now, slightly one dimensional.
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1983 Bruno Giacosa Barolo Villero di Castiglione Falletto 93 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Open 4 hours before serving. Exciting floral start with mature red berry and cherry on nose and palate. Spicebox includes black pepper and tarragon with outstanding minerality. Very good balance and textures. Very elegant and sophisticated. I was told 1983 was a mediocre vintage (at best), but this was easily in my "top 5" tonight and 2 people thought it in their "top 2." A big contrast to the same wine from 1988 in the next glass, which was more backward and brooding.
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1988 Bruno Giacosa Barolo Villero di Castiglione Falletto 92 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Open 5 hours before serving. While the 1983 in the next glass was elegant and textured, this 1988 was meaty, powerful, firm and even backward. Kept getting better with more air. Lots of firm fruit, moderate ripeness throughout.
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1974 Bruno Giacosa Barolo Riserva Speciale
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
From the same case as another couple of bottles I was fortunate to taste last year. This bottle showed very similar aromatic complexity with lots of dried rose petal, black tea, cooked mushroom and mature red cherry. I think the bottle had encountered considerable turbulence today, coming downtown and to dinner and that made the flavors slightly murky and less overall appealing than those prior bottles. Perhaps 96 point aromas and 91 point flavors for today's bottle. This was in 5 of 8 people's "top 2" wines tonight and certainly amongst my 3 or 4 favorites.
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1996 Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Riserva Asili Flawed
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
Corked.
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1997 Bruno Giacosa Barolo Le Rocche del Falletto di Serralunga d'Alba
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
While this was just popped and poured, it was still one of my favorites of the evening in terms of its ultimate potential. All shades of red fruit coming through on nose and palate with floral hints but big spice everywhere. Weightless textures from start to middle, then turning slightly firm and rough on the finish. Kept expanding with more air. 95 point potential here.
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1998 Bruno Giacosa Barolo Le Rocche del Falletto di Serralunga d'Alba 92 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Open and decanted several hours. Lots of red cherry, licorice and clove. Open and pleasurable right now, but I didn't find the same level of complexity and potential here vs the 1997 vintage in the next glass.
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1998 Gaja Langhe Nebbiolo Sperss 93 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Langhe DOC
A fascinating wine in the flight, this was more forward and pleasurable than the Giacosa 1998 Rocche, with lots of mostly black, very ripe fruit and slightly sweet spice. Probably the most enjoyable wine in this flight, but honestly I wouldn't have easily identified this as Piedmont or Nebbiolo if served blind.
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1998 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Cascina Francia
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Also popped and poured, I didn't find this very forthcoming tonight, but the density and concentration certainly bode well for its long-term potential. Serious wine that will benefit from plenty more cellar time.
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