La Festa del Barolo: Gala Dinner
The Pool in NYC
Tasted Friday, February 3, 2023 by MC2 Wines with 161 views
Introduction
One of the main events of the weekend and certainly a very fun one. We were lucky enough to sit with Fabio from Burlotto again which was great. Typically everyone at the table brings wine (including the winemakers supplying 2 large formats) and the wine is initially poured for your table but then we all go around and share with each other. A nice way to reconnect with other folks and always fun to see the plethora of wines being brought.
Flight 1 (25 Notes)
There was a dinner, but to be fair I’m not sure how many people were focusing on it and I actually missed eating most of mine so fewer opinions. This was served over a couple of courses but a lot of wines were shared wines across tables and so I just left it as the single flight.
Closing
Note that my notes cover wines that made it to our table. We shared around a few of our wines and got some different pours and it just wasn’t feasible to capture all of those although there were plenty of very tasty ones. In addition I didn’t bother with the 2012 DP we had very late night. Overall a very successful (if slightly too late evening as again there was a veer towards an after party).
The 2008 Monvigliero was amazing although somehow after the initial pour it got taken by another table and so despite being a 3L we never saw it again. Alas…. I love our 1982 Crichet Paje which was just rocking. The 65 Cappellano was so fresh it had everyone wondering if perhaps it was a fake. I’m not so sure. It was definitely interesting. And on the other end of that spectrum the 53 Burlotto was the lightest red wine I’ve ever seen and incredibly interesting to try even if it did pour closer to an orange wine than a red one.
1953 Comm. G.B. Burlotto Barolo
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Let me put this a bit in context. This wine was incredibly interesting. It’s one of the oldest barolos I’ve seen and one of the only from this year which to be honest was not a great year. The wine pours out looking more like an orange wine than like a red wine. Definitely maderized with tons of sherry notes. There’s a bit of sweetness to it. What seemed to be true is that the more people drank it the more they seemed to like it (with one person actually going back for a fuller pour). I don’t know that I’d seek this one out again specifically, but it was very interest. Had been opened and decanted for sediment before we came over so it was very clean.
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2018 Comm. G.B. Burlotto Barolo Castelletto
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
From a magnum. Before we visited back in November I hadn’t seen any of this new wine but in the last few years Fabio and family procured a parcel in Monforte and have started making a Barolo from there. While it’s quite young, it ‘s indeed very lovely, with extra power, spine, spice, darker fruits, raspberry and just a slight juiciness in texture that I really like. This was a wine that really benefited from just being left along for some time and an extra 30 mins in the glass and the wine was every more astonishing. An amazing purity of fruit.
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2007 Bollinger Champagne R.D. Extra Brut
France, Champagne
The truth is you can’t really have a Festa without some champagne. It’s a lot of big red wines and while this was on the earlier side to see the bottles coming out it was much appreciated. This is very toasty in style. A bit more evolved than I would have guessed especially as it was pouring out of magnum but maybe that is the style/the vintage? In a good spot though earlier than I think most champagne is and quite enjoyable.
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1970 Comm. G.B. Burlotto Barolo
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Alas in a world where there is a lot of old wine there were always be bottles that are off and this was one of them. Somehow though there was the cork but then this undercurrent to the wine that has some of that linearity and class that Burlotto so often has. Bummer.
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1993 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Cascina Francia
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
From a magnum and this was just rocking and rolling. Really drinking well. Very fresh and beautiful. A bit more heft to the style than some other producers but still done in a lovely way. Spicy and a bit more secondary notes. Very well integrated. A wine that seemed in a perfect sweet spot and was just purely on.
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2008 Comm. G.B. Burlotto Barolo Monvigliero
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Amazing wine. Reminds me a bit of fir trees, an almost peachy style of fruit and then still this really lively cleanness. Very classic and beautiful and is drinking so well now. Out of a 3L. I tried to go revisit but alas it was popular enough that it had made it to the main table and I don’t think we saw it again. It’s that kindof wine though. Just special.
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2008 Comm. G.B. Burlotto Barolo Cannubi
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Really fun to get to try this next to its brother the Monvigliero. That was really great too. Amazing and again that juicy style, great fruity, bright and the best word that I could come up with was yummy. Certainly a wine to keep an eye out for.
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2006 Poderi Aldo Conterno Barolo Riserva Granbussia
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
This is just starting to really come together and maybe needs a bit more time to get to the ‘exact’ right place but there’s a lot to like about where it is going. This is more oak than some of the other wines and I feel like takes some time to integrate but once it does there’s a strength and power that can be very appealing. And a bit of smoothness. Wine is clearly very nice - would love to try again in maybe 5 years.
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2004 Luciano Sandrone Barolo Cannubi Boschis
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Very nice wine. Fully integrated and bright and drinking nicely.
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1967 Poderi Aldo Conterno Barolo
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Drinks nicely. Again very fresh and drinking nicely. Served slightly cold so it was harder to get as many flavors from it and the downside to this format is it’s all small pours so can’t always go back.
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1967 Giacomo Conterno Barolo
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
One of those wines where I do wonder if the long term barolo decant would have had an impact on it. This was opened right before and double decanted and then served. It also feels a bit maderized in style. Sherry, dried fruits, potpourri. Did not seem to blow off with time but the time I gave it was measured in minutes and not hours.
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1964 Cappellano Barolo
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
This wine truly split people and I can understand why. In a line-up of multiple old Cappellanos (we were totally spoiled this evening) this was the oldest and yet it poured a bright red ruby color and it would have been hard to ascribe 10 years to the bottle much less almost 60. Very fresh and bright and classic in style. Good fruit. Well structured. The person who brought this also brought the 1971 which had more challenges and the wines were from the same lot. I hope that means we just had a truly lovely bottle. It can happen from time to time with the old ones.
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1967 Cappellano Barolo
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Another favorite that I almost forgot about. This is just amazing. Really fresh and bright and classic. Darker fruits and for sure more of the floral and maybe a bit more secondary but it is in just a wonderful spot. Really great wine.
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1971 Cappellano Barolo
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
This was definitely corked even if again I felt like I could sense some great wine underneath the cardboard flavor. These things do happen in an event where we’re pulling out the old bottles and alas there are few people who have the 60/70’s from release.
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1998 Montevertine Il Sodaccio
Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT
Leave it to the Tuscan king to bring Sangiovese to the Barolo dinner…. And yet it was quite fun to try. This is drinking well too but my goodness is it young. From a magnum. For sure a more hardy style of wine, lots of drying tannin, some fruits. This will have a very long life I suspect. Give it many more years.
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2004 Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo Brunate Le Coste
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Very nice and refined with lovely dark fruits and drinking very well. Good to get to try.
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2000 Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Rabajà
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
Hey - this is a bit more intense and bright and very deep. There’s a lot more to this wine than I expected. Interesting because I think of Giacosa as being the king of the very light bodied wines but with real punch but here can see this having a bit more body to it. Not in a bad way. It still has the impression of lightness and elegance. Very delicious. Fun to get to try.
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1978 Pio Cesare Barolo
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
This is a nice version of an aged barolo. There’s some finesse to it. Some background of the Madeira that seems to come with more time as well but just at the very end. Drinking nicely.
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1989 Roberto Voerzio Barolo Cerequio
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
I don’t necessarily mind the oaked versions but I do think they need many years to get to a place where I find them enjoyable. This was in that space. It’s a bigger wine and more expansive and a bit more weight in the palate. But everything is now integrated and so it just comes across as perhaps a heartier wine that might stand up better to something like a stew or a bigger piece of game. Drinks nicely.
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2001 Marchesi di Barolo Barolo Cannubi
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
It seems I never get to have this wine at an opportunity for it to really show well. This seems totally reasonable. Out of magnum. And yet somehow doesn’t quite stand up to the others being poured. Would be interested to revisit in more of a solo setting.
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2000 Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo Cannubi San Lorenzo Ravera
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Great wine, darker fruits, really drinking very nicely. In very good shape and a treat to get to try.
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1996 Bruno Giacosa Barolo Riserva Falletto di Serralunga d'Alba
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Ah - nice to see my old friend back after the last bottle was less great. This is sweet black fruits, very classic style, drinking well, more intensity in some ways than I expect from the wine but it is so well balanced that it never feels like its too much. Lovely.
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1982 Roagna Barbaresco Crichët Pajé
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
Winner winner chicken dinner. This was a night of just incredible wines and yet this one stood out to me. It was great from the first cork pop where the nose just jumped right out of the bottle at you through to drinking a few hours later (had been double decanted and rebottled for the dinner). Darker fruits and light in body and maybe a bit of mint and everything is so well pulled together and it’s just a bit different if that makes any sense. I absolutely love it. This particular bottle had been recorked at the estate in 2010 and we bought it as a wine shop in Piedmont.
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1985 Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo Riserva Brunate
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
There were some initial concerns about this wine which might also have been because it was getting double decanted right next to the Crichet Paje which was just totally on and this one was perhaps a little more reticent. With some time though it came around. It’s still not the ‘best’ bottle but that showed there in more of an austerity of style than in any ‘bad’ flavors (and I say this but it’s so personal preference - we poured these two side by side for a number of friends and there was a definite split in who preferred what). With some time the darker fruit came out and it was a bit more interesting but for me overshadowed by its pouring partner.
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1995 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut
France, Champagne
At a certain point in the night there comes a time for bubbles and this was definitely one of them. From a magnum. Very popular. It seems like the bottle got crushed pretty fast. It’s a bit toasty and brawny in style and yet kindof wonderful to ‘finish’ the night (minus the final pours and then some young DP at the after party)
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