Nebbiolos, white truffles, Volume X "Do you want some leftovers?"

Chicago, IL
Tasted Saturday, November 22, 2025 by acyso with 134 views

Flight 1 (4 Notes)

  • 2012 Vilmart & Cie Champagne Premier Cru Coeur de Cuvée 93 Points

    France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru

    Really love the Vilmart style -- they say it's Krug lite (TM) but really there's plenty of distinctiveness here, apart from carrying the same oaky weight that Krug has. White fruited, with youthful acidity, and of course that requisite density and palate presence that I absolutely adore in my Champagne. Vilmart is readily one of my favourite growers in the region.

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  • 2004 Salon Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut 95 Points

    France, Champagne

    If anything, this is simply too youthful. There's so much chardonnay minerality and chew here, but overall the expressiveness is a bit muted right now, so with the benefit of a decade, I'd expect this to unwind a little bit and broaden on the palate. But for now, the sheer size of this wine is pretty much monumental and I'd give this some air if you must open it now.

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  • 2008 Dom Pérignon Champagne 93 Points

    France, Champagne

    This bottle showed quite a bit of reduction on the nose, which made it feel more closed and less expressive than other bottles before. That it's reduced isn't all too much of a surprise, but for my palate tonight, there just wasn't the same expansiveness that I've found in other bottles. Of course, given that this is Dom, my expectation is that the issue is more with palate rather than bottle variation.

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  • 2006 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut 93 Points

    France, Champagne

    This has gotten significantly better versus when this was originally released. There's been a mellowing out out here that I've found particularly enjoyable. More rounded in texture, with the fruit starting to develop a slight hint of a biscuity quality, though the apple profile here still comes off just a tart. Not a very heavyset Krug, but this is certainly putting on weight as time goes on.

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Flight 2 (29 Notes)

  • 1939 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Riserva Monfortino Stravecchio 88 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    These super old wines may well be a bit of a crapshoot, but this was certainly servable, and fairly drinkable too, even if it was more interesting than good. A very distinct green, herbaceous quality here with a relatively high-toned, soprano profile on the palate. Some bitter notes to accompany the greenness on the palate, with a bit of iron oxide on the palate. Very light.

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  • 1943 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Riserva Monfortino Stravecchio 90 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    Despite the murky colour, this was still very drinkable, and likely my favourite of the flight. There's a Madeira or passito quality to this wine with that ripe sweetness that seems so different from any other Barolo I've had. The sweetness and plummy/pruney notes here have me thinking that this might well have been doctored a little, especially given the relative freshness and high alcohol quality. Another wine that was more interesting than good.

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  • 1947 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Riserva Monfortino Stravecchio 88 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    Despite the crystalline pink colour, half the table was gagging on the "fecal brett" notes here. I must've been one of the lucky other half who wasn't too bothered by it. To be sure, there is definitely a bit of dirty compost heap note here (others called it a Diaper Genie, whatever that is). Clearly not as dirty on the palate as on the nose, there are some nice sweet fruit notes here with fully resolved tannins. Still a bit of bitterness but not overbearingly so. Another bottle that was more interesting than good.

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  • 1961 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Riserva Monfortino Speciale Flawed

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    Oxidized.

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  • 1988 Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Gallina di Neive 93 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco

    In comparison to other Giacosa, I found this a slight bit angular versus the typical silky, crystalline profile that the wines tend to have. We drank this next to the Santo Stefano riserva of the same vintage, and unfortunately the step down was pretty obvious here, even if this wine was showing very. very well. The tannins could still benefit from a few years to further soften up, but it is no waste to open a bottle of this now.

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  • 1988 Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Riserva Santo Stefano 98 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco

    Handily one of my favourite bottles of the evening. So many intense, perfumed, red-fruited floral aromatics that this is maddening. It's somehow very intense, yet very light and fleet-footed. Pretty much everything a proper Giacosa red label should be. Stunning, delicious stuff.

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  • 1974 Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Gallina di Neive Flawed

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco

    Corked.

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  • 1990 Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Gallina di Neive 95 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco

    Easily the best of the Gallinas that we opened tonight. Bright red cherry, but perhaps bright to the point of a little cough syrup. Among the best white label Giacosas I've ever had, this bottle was firing on all cylinders with a matured tannic profile coupled with still bright aromatic red fruits. Stunning.

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  • 1998 Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Gallina di Neive 93 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco

    A bit better than the bottle last year -- I found this showing a relatively dark fruit profile, which may well be par for the vintage. The fruit is relatively ripe, dark, and intense, with powerful, slightly chunky tannins. Quite firm and dense, it's clear that this could stand to benefit from many more years in the cellar.

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  • 1961 Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo 93 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    Surprisingly very fruit-forward, even if the fruit shows a little sappiness from the age. A slight woodsy quality here too, but not in a bad way. The black fruit here has a sort of balsamic-like presence in terms of texture -- it's a very fascinating wine, and very different from the crystalline red-fruited profile of modern iterations.

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  • 1979 Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo Riserva Brunate 93 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    On the whole, most others tonight liked this far more than I did. I found it very similar in profile to the base 1961 Barolo alongside, with the same sappiness but with the fruit a little more red and bright. Again, shows very young for its age -- I think a 1990s guess wouildn't really be all that far off.

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  • 2001 Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo Brunate Le Coste

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    Something not quite right with this bottle -- too much VA, I think. That said, a very nice, surprisingly intense black-fruited profile, with some nailpolish notes.

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  • 2004 Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo Brunate Le Coste 95 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    My favourite of the Rinaldi wines tonight. This is archetypal 2004 with its relatively ripe red-fruited profile. Surprisingly crisp with relatively high acidity, though retaining impressive breadth and weight on the palate. The fruit profile, despite the acidity, shows a good amount of ripe fruit here.

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  • 1989 Giuseppe E Figlio Mascarello Barolo Monprivato 95 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    Handily the best of the Monprivato flight, for my palate. This is fully mature, but still showing a great amount of fruit here. Like the preceding Rinaldis, this has a relatively intense, sappy, fruit-driven palate that I particularly enjoy. With respect to the tannins, I could still see this improving with a few more years, so that the relatively large-scaled structure can fade a bit into the background.

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  • 1990 Giuseppe E Figlio Mascarello Barolo Monprivato 93 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    A great edition of this wine to be sure, but I preferred the slightly older 1989 alongside for its general full-on resolved quality. Here, the fruit is quite dark, veering almost towards black. There's more of a high-toned quality here that I'm not too fond of, and the ripeness feels a little bit forced versus the fantastic 1989.

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  • 1999 Giuseppe E Figlio Mascarello Barolo Monprivato 90 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    Nowhere as good as the best bottle of this that I've had. This was blocky, woody, and had very heavy-set, grainy tannins that never seemed to come around. Perhaps impressive in its size, but also relatively charmless and fairly uninteresting, especially in comparison to three other great bottles in the same flight.

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  • 2004 Giuseppe E Figlio Mascarello Barolo Monprivato 95 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    I really liked how this bottle was showing. Despite the palate showing the typical red fruit of the vintage, there's less of a crystalline, lightweight elegance here than a firm, powerful expression of red fruit. The tannins are quite broad, and the wine still feels very youthful. Far more weight and intensity than I would have expected, but still impressive all the same.

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  • 1996 Bruno Giacosa Barolo Riserva Falletto di Serralunga d'Alba 95 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    A perennial favourite of mine, especially given how well this is drinking right now. A brilliant exposition of crystalline red fruit the way Giacoda always manages to do it, without loss of complexity or density on the palate. More weighty than a typical Giacosa, and weightier than my recollection from previous bottles as well, but a stunning wine ready to be enjoyed now. For my palate, this 30-year mark really is where Barolo starts to show the right combination of maturity and freshness.

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  • 1996 Bartolo Mascarello Barolo

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    Not corked -- at least I didn't think so and I've detected 11 of the last 8 corked wines I've had -- but woodsy and very unexpressive.

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  • 1996 Cavallotto Barolo Riserva Bricco Boschis Vigna San Giuseppe 93 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    I didn't quite like the bottle I had almost ten years ago, but tonight's bottle held its own against a whole slew of heavy hitters. This is a bit more rustic than the others, with more of a coarse-grained tannic profile here. The fruit is relatively black, with some earthy tones as well. Still quite stern and structural, as you might expect from a 1906, but an excellent wine all the same.

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  • 1996 Comm. G.B. Burlotto Barolo Monvigliero 98 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    This stuff is pretty sui generis, but it is also absolutely gorgeous. An intense herbal nose, with incredible stem spice and a fully integrated palate that shows fully matured tannin. The aromatics are off the charts, with a lovely, charming palate to match. Layered fruit-driven complexity and a silky texture. Lighter in stature of course, and totally delicious. What a smoke show.

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  • 2001 Comm. G.B. Burlotto Barolo Monvigliero 93 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    While it's clear this is cut from the same Burlotto Monvigliero cloth, the aromaticity and lift is missing. A solid exposition of red fruit, but the stem notes and perfumed lift seem to be out of commission right now. Perhaps this will soften and yield the aromatics with time, but it's a little strange the way this bottle showed tonight versus the 1996 and 2008.

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  • 2008 Comm. G.B. Burlotto Barolo Monvigliero 95 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    Another brilliant iteration of this wine, as you might expect given the vintage. Indeed this drinks like a younger version of the incredible 1996 -- give it 12 years and I would not be surprised if this evolved to a state that was identical. Red fruit, perfume, lift, and elegance. Brilliant stuff.

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  • 2012 Comm. G.B. Burlotto Barolo Monvigliero

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    A very weird showing. Browning but not overtly oxidized. Slightly decaying dirtiness on the nose and palate, but clearly not correct, whatever flaw this had.

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  • 2013 Comm. G.B. Burlotto Barolo Monvigliero 93 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    This is missing sone of the expected elegance and lift that this bottling should have -- especially when seen in the context of the 1996 and 2008. The fruit profile, while still clearly red, shows a confectionary note that I don't particularly care for. More high-tined with a tad more volatile acidity than this should really have, in my opinion. I see I already made my usual jibe at Galloni (information ratio = 0.0) in my previous note on this wine.

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  • 2008 Roagna Barbaresco Vecchie Viti Pajè 95 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco

    My favourite of the Roagna flight. This brings the proper 2008 red fruit-driven acidity with the weight and density of a VV. In the perfume, there is almost a slight bit of a volcanic quality here that I really find interesting -- maybe it's a touch of sulphur-driven reduction? Good intensity and density on the palate; drinking very nicely now, but can easily age for at least a decade more.

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  • 2012 Roagna Barbaresco Vecchie Viti Pajè 93 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco

    Much less precise than the 2008 alongside. More diffuse, with more earthen and leather tones too, given this a bulkier palate profile. Missing some of the wonder perfume of the 2008, and the fruit here is also a little darker as well. Comes off a little bitter, perhaps from the tannins; I'd expect another decade or so would soften this wine up.

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  • 2011 Roagna Barbaresco Vecchie Viti Asili 93 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco

    A nice bottle of wine, but not quite living up to the high expectations that might be demanded of a VV. Comes off much riper (which isn't surprising for the vintage) but also a bit simplistic and hard at this young age. Clearly needs more time to integrate and flesh out; a decade or more ought to do the trick.

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  • 2012 Roagna Barbaresco Vecchie Viti Asili 93 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco

    Just not as expressive as I would have hoped for this -- to be sure, it is very young and I think the benefit of a decade or more of bottle age will work wonders here. It's quite structured, with lots of firm tannins and fruit that is veering more black than red. Not as expressive and elegant as the Paje of the same vintage alongside either.

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Flight 3 (4 Notes)

  • 1959 Antonio Ferrari Solaria Jonica Puglia IGT 93 Points

    Italy, Puglia, Puglia IGT

    Always wanted to try this wine given the reputation of it. I think it's exactly what I expected it to be -- an inky dark, purply, raisinated, and very sweet Zinfandel, with a freshness that belies its 60+ years. A touch of oxidation, but this pretty much drinks straight-up like one of those old school Californian late harvest zinfandels (which I guess at the end of the day isn't really all that surprising?).

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  • NV Jean-Marc Roulot Liqueur d'Abricot du Roulot

    France

    From a 1L that was opened last year; this bottle seems to have picked up more of the high-toned aldehydes that you might get from apricot pits (or almonds). Intense, sweet, and pretty much the essence of apricot.

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  • NV Cappellano Barolo Chinato

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo Chinato

    I always wish that this bottling's herbs would always be more prominent, with more bitterness and aromaticity and just a little less sweetness. Overall nicely balanced, with the savoury notes of the spice coming through quite clearly, but for my palate, a hair too sweet for the digestif components of this to really take hold.

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  • 2014 Domaine Antoine Jobard Meursault 1er Cru Charmes 93 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru

    Served double blind. What a nice refresher after all that nebbiolo. Unmistakably Burgundy, but showing very little reduction overall, as well as a relatively leaner, sinewy profile that made me lean first towards Dujac's Monts Luisants (to play the player a little bit), and then towards Puligny -- and possibly even Carillon! Shocking how toned down the reduction is here -- this is very much approachable and drinkable now, and I doubt I would have ever gotten to Jobard without any help.

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