Vajra & Baudana Barolo Dinner

Ai Fiori (Langham Hotel on 5th Ave)
Tasted Thursday, May 10, 2018 by MC2 Wines with 363 views

Introduction

Another wonderful dinner organized by the wine folks at Ai Fiori. We've been trying to do more of these Barolo ones (research for our trip in Nov). Interesting to see the different styles. This was a more fresh take which I tend to like. The wines were all on the younger side. Will be interesting to see how they age.

Flight 1 - Pre-dinner drink (1 Note)

I got to the restaurant a bit early so grabbed a glass of this.

  • NV Gosset Champagne Grand Rosé Brut

    France, Champagne

    Drank with a lobster roll and that was an excellent pairing. It's light and a bit saline and also a bit berry and the interplay of the crispness of the wine worked well with the chewyness of the lobster. On it's own it's almost like slightly frozen strawberries where the flavor isn't overpowering but instead almost more of an impression. Very tasty.

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Flight 2 - FIRST COURSE (3 Notes)

Battilardo
chef's selection of cured meats, seasonal accompaniments

Flight 3 - SECOND COURSE (3 Notes)

Crudo di Vitello
marinated veal crudo, capers, quail egg, black truffle

  • 2013 G.D. Vajra Barolo Ravera

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    Very young and clearly needs some more time, but I like the stuffing. Some grippy tannins. Black cherry and tobacco. Interesting to hear the story of the vineyard (old cherry trees) since cherry was the first note I got from the wine.

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  • 2011 G.D. Vajra Barolo Ravera

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    Black pepper and red raspberry and hints of cherry. Still also a bit on the young side. It's very tasty though. Touch of alcohol that blew off. A nice tannic structure.

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  • 2010 G.D. Vajra Barolo Ravera

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    One of my favorites of the tasting. Still on the young side. It's a 'pretty' wine. A bit more floral. Some red fruits (darker - maybe a current). Hint of white pepper. It's a nice wine.

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Flight 4 - THIRD COURSE (4 Notes)

Spaghetti
pork sausage, mustard greens, pecorino, black pepper

  • 2013 Luigi Baudana Barolo Cerretta

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    This was an interesting wine. There's almost a grittiness to it, but in a very smooth way (which sounds like an oxymoron I know). There's red plum and maybe a bit of olive. Very nice.

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  • 2012 Luigi Baudana Barolo Cerretta

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    Again a bit of sweet red fruit to it. It's heavier bodied than the Ravera which had a certain crispness to it. Lots of tannins, but they seem to take a backseat to the fruit. Touch of mint on the finish.

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  • 2011 Luigi Baudana Barolo Cerretta

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    Tannins like very finely ground sand. In this wine those are the more predominant flavor. Touch of sweet red fruits as well. It's very young. Needs more time.

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  • 2008 Luigi Baudana Barolo Cerretta

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    I really liked this wine. It's softer in nature than the younger vintages. Still a touch on the tight side, but it opened up quite nicely over time. Maybe a bit of the floral now. Would love to see it again in another 5-10 years.

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Flight 5 - FOURTH COURSE (4 Notes)

Maialino da Latte
baby suckling pig, romesco puree, ramp pesto, pork jus

Flight 6 - FIFTH COURSE (3 Notes)

Formaggio
parmigiano reggiano, fried prosciutto, balsamic and muscat grape mostarda

Flight 7 - SIXTH COURSE (1 Note)

Mousse
coconut mousse, lychee granite, passion fruit

Closing

Overall quite a nice dinner (the pasta course was pretty spectacular) and some very fun stories from Giuseppe Vajra about his family. The 2010 Ravera was really good as were all of the 2008's which seemed to be really coming into their own.

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