White Truffle & 1971 Nebbiolo Dinner
Chez Goldberg, Greenwich Village, NYC
Tasted December 9, 2021 by kenv with 202 views
Introduction
This was the annual white truffles and Nebbiolo of a long-standing Bordeaux group in NYC. I was fortunate that a seat opened up, and I was able to make it.
The wine theme was 1971 Barolo and Barbaresco at 50 years of age.
Photos and more details can be found on my website.
Flight 1 - Champagne with Gourmet Potato Chips (1 note)
With chips from Mountain Sweet Berry Farm in Roscoe NY. https://www.mountainsweetberryfarm.com/.
We had Peruvian Purple, German Butterball, and Kennebec.
Flight 2 - 1971 Barbera & 1970 Barolo (3 notes)
With slow-cooked, soft scrambled eggs with shaved white truffle.
Red
1971 Braida (Giacomo Bologna) Barbera d'Asti Riserva
Italy, Piedmont, Asti, Barbera d'Asti
[Double decanted around noon. Tasted around 7pm.] A rather pleasant surprise for a 50 year old Barbera. Muted nose of red fruit and forest floor. Delicious. Goes beautifully with soft scrambled eggs and shaved white truffles. Long bright finish. Wow!
Red
1970 Cavallotto Barolo Bricco Boschis
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Double decanted around 3:30pm. Tasted around 7pm.] Lovely nose of roses and spice. Mellow, elegant, smooth. Fully mature, but should hold for another 5-10 years.
Flight 3 - 1971 Barbaresco (4 notes)
With homemade tajarin [made with 31 egg yolks in a kilo of flour] with white truffle-infused butter.
Red
1971 Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
[Double decanted around noon. Tasted around 8pm.] Muted nose of dark fruit, roses, and licorice. Still somewhat tannic. Long and complex, but not as brilliant as the bottle I had in 2018.
Red
1971 Oddero Barbaresco
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
[Decanted around 6:30pm. Tasted around 8pm.] No nose. Elegant, balanced. A lovely wine. Long sweet finish.
Flight 4 - 1971 Barolo (4 notes)
With short ribs braised in red wine, served over polenta with roasted asparagus on the side.
Red
1971 Poderi Aldo Conterno Barolo Cascina Masante
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Opened at 3pm, then decanted around 6pm. Tasted around 8:30pm. This was a special bottling for the Ordine dei Cavalieri del Tartufo e dei Vini d'Alba. Cascina Masante is a subvineyard of Bussia Soprana. In recent years, they have made a Dolcetto from this site.] Spicy black fruit nose. Sour in the mouth. I think this is an off bottle.
Red
1971 Marcarini Barolo Riserva Brunate
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Opened at 3pm, then decanted around 6pm. Tasted around 8:30pm.] Gorgeous Barolo. Lovely, nuanced floral nose of red fruit and tar. Expanse and complex in the mouth. Long, elegant finish. Drinking beautifully now.
Red
1971 Giuseppe E Figlio Mascarello Barolo
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Opened at noon and double-decanted at 3pm. Tasted around 8:30pm.] Disappointing, especially since this was purchased directly from the winery. This should be a great wine, but it is flawed. Not bad, but not what it should be. There is a sourness that is off-putting.
Flight 5 - 1974 & 1975 Barolo (3 notes)
With the short ribs.
Red
1974 Massolino Barolo
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Double decanted at 4pm. Served about 9pm.] Sweet cherry nose. Long, rich and delicious in the mouth. I suspect this is mostly from Rionda. Excellent.
Red
1975 Cappellano Barolo Troglia
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Decanted at around 5pm. Served about 9pm.] Spicy, minty, red fruit nose. Long and tasty. Quite good for this vintage.
Flight 6 - 1999 & 2001 Bruno Giacosa Barolo (2 notes)
With the short ribs.
Red
1999 Bruno Giacosa Barolo Falletto di Serralunga d'Alba
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Double decanted for an hours at 2:30pm. Served about 9:30pm.] WOTN for me. Maybe I don't like really old Barolo as much as I thought. Anyway, this wine is rich and gorgeous with great depth and length. Nose of cherries and spice. Stunningly complex. Just wow. Il Maestro is king!
Red
2001 Bruno Giacosa Barolo
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Double decanted at 8am. Consumed about 9:30pm.] Gorgeous nose of flowers and licorice. Not as great as the 1999 Falletto, but still an excellent wine for a non-single-vineyard Barolo. Rich, long, complex.
Flight 7 - Dessert (2 notes)
Two homemade pavlovas (made from leftover egg whites – see tajarin, above): One chocolate, one coffee.
Closing
On the whole, the older wines were a mixed bag. What should have been the two best wines (the 1971 Giacosa Barbaresco and the 1971 G. Mascarello Barolo) didn't live up to previous tastings. OTOH the Cavallotto, the two Produttori del Barbaresco Barbarescos, the Marcarini, the Massolino, and the two younger Giacosa Barolos were excellent. The 1971 Oddero Barbaresco was also a nice surprise. And the Bartolo Mascarello Barolo Chinato was wonderful.
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