1952 Borgogno Help

I bought a 1952 Borgogno for my mom’s birthday from Lopa (thanks Scott!). It’s been standing up for about a week and will open tomorrow with plans to decant and then drink over hours or when it hits its stride.

My question is, are there any small bites or preferably cheeses worth pairing when we open the bottle? Normal Barolo pairings? Or is something this old better on its own?

Edit: from my follow up post below for posterity, thanks everyone!

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Should move to wine talk

Agree with Chris - you will get a lot more eyeballs on this in Wine Talk.

I opened a 1947 for my dad’s birthday a few years ago and we drank most of it on its own to just enjoy and savor the experience of trying a wine that old (which fortunately was in great shape, despite pouring a very interesting light pink color). I think you could pair it with a light bite or two if you wanted to, but I wouldn’t go with the classic meal pairings as that would overwhelm the subtleties of the wine.

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Todd, help, I made a mistake.

Thanks James and Chris

Moved

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personally, I find these old Barolos really shine with braised dishes, such as braised rabbit, short ribs, that sort of thing. Not small bites, I know, but that’s my suggestion :slight_smile:

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Yes, braised meat or a simple pasta (e.g., butter and herbs). The sad truth is that cheese does not do old wines any favors.

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and that could include pasta tossed in said meaty goodness.

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Agnolotti del plin in Brodo…with rabbit. Simple and absolutely stunning…

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I had the 1952 Borgogno a few years ago, and while I can’t remember what I ate with it, it had held up exceptionally well.

The one I remember more about was the 1964 Borgogno, which I had with a pasta dish with a wild mushroom (chanterelle and other varieties) sauce. The mushrooms really complimented the earth/tar/truffle flavors of the Barolo quite well.

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I had a '57 recently, it was ready to go right away and evolved nicely for several hours. It was good with every food I paired it with - an effortlessly pleasurable wine.

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A slow braise works well with old Barolo.

I would never pair any cheese with red wine. In general dry whites are much better, or a botrytis with a blue cheese. Never red.

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that sounds perfect, and could even qualify for the “small bites” requirement

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Thanks for all the advice I think we’re just going to have some bread and olive oil before/with the wine.

The next question is, I have 2x zalto burg and 2x grassl Cru- will these glasses work? I have some bdx style glasses too, but not at the same level.

We’re missing the most important piece of information. Is the top of the capsule red or black?

Original releases are wines that were released not long after the vintage. Typically (at least through the 1990 vintage), original releases have a red top to the capsule.

Library releases should have an all black capsule and a decant declaration on the back label, that is a statement of the date that the wine was decanted, topped off, and recorked for sale.

The library releases can seem very young for the vintage. I would consider slow-o for both, but esp. the library release.

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OG baby!
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I think you could do prosciutto and a bit of parmigiano or a velouté (mushroom or cauliflower) to start with your wine and bread. If you want to hedge your bet, some champagne if you find it’s not to your liking.

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It sounds like you are set on the idea of having this without an entree, and I could see that if you are having several tasters and don’t want the wine to get lost, but I’d agree with those suggesting a pasta with a meat sauce or braised meat dish. Maybe even create a small plate to really work with those flavors. Personally I don’t think bread and oil will do it justice. It won’t hurt it, but I think there’s room for improvement.

Scott does really well with sourcing these old Barolos. Served a '64 Barale purchased from him last summer, along with a lot of other great wines, and I thought it was great. I’m typically not wild on the buy now, receive whenever model, but I make an exception for Lopa.

Whatever you decide for service, good luck with the wine, hope it’s really special!

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Thanks Michael! The reason for not doing an entree is there was a specific request for NY strip steak that doesn’t really fit the wine from my understanding. I did want to have something to eat so they aren’t drinking on an empty stomach, but also don’t want to overwhelm the vino.

Interestingly, at the dinner I mentioned I had a NY Strip, and believe at least one other had the same. It was a really excellent steak and served quite rare. I thought it paired really well. The steak was quite lean, so it didn’t overpower the wine. I actually think a leaner steak works well, but not sure how acceptable that opinion is. I do think you would have a lot of latitude on a small bite or two which would compliment the wine well though.

Let us know how it all works out.

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