To date, I’ve only tasted two nebbiolo-based wines that I believe are perfect and merit 20 points or 100 points, depending on your scale: 89 Giacosa Collina Rionda, which has always been perfect in the seven times I’ve had it; and 78 Monfortino, which has been perfect around 8 of the 10 times I’ve tasted it. But nothing pre-78 ever knocked my socks off to that degree. Until now. Now don’t get me wrong, some of the older 55, 58, 61, 64, 67 and 71 Mascarellos, Monfos, Conternos, Gajas and Giacosas were excellent, even great, with some verging on perfection (e.g., 71 Monfortino, 58 Bartolo, 55 Monfortino, 67 Giacosa Rionda Riserva, particularly). But nothing to this point was essentially perfect to me. On this night, this bottle was:
1964 Cavallotto Barolo Riserva Speciale – Cork was for shit. Crumbled. Lots of mold on the top. Got it out finally and a musty aroma blew up in my face as if the bottle belched at me. Color was light ruby, ever so slight bricking (which for such an old wine was astonishing). Nose was stunning, mixed berries (unusual note), cherry, rose, earth, menthol and loads of tabacco. On front-end and mid-palate, unreal levels of sweet fruit, like a 78 Rayas. Perfectly framed in a still noticeable structure with fine silky, Cheval Blanc-like tannins. Long and longer on the back end. What an experience. Grand vin. Perfect wine. 100 points.
Barry, thanks for sharing your experience, sounds emotionally moving and to the the extent that you comment “nothing pre-78 has ever knocked my socks off”, I’m in the same camp. In fact, of that group you quote that has reached aspiring heights, none have ever done it for me, not even close, so it’s nice to hear there’s hope!
As an aside, a couple different bottles of '78 Giacosa Rionda Riserva have reached the elusive 100 pt performance benchmark for my palate.
You know it is funny you say that about the 78 Rionda. Had alone, I might have reached the same conclusion. But the three times I had the 78 Rionda was in the company of its cousin the 89 and the 78 Monfortino. To me, both the 89 Rionda and the 78 Monfo were better wines, so it was hard for me to get there in terms of perfection for the 78 Rionda. But, as I said, if I had it alone with nothing better to immediately (or in sense memory fashion) compare it to, I might well have concluded the same. I know that Ken and Antonio and others (maybe Tom M.) have thought the 78 Rionda perfect even in the company of those other two wines…so it is all in the eye of the beholder I suppose. In terms of the botttles I list pre 78 that I thought were great, I acknowledge that there are seemingly huge bottle variation issues…which makes blanket statements about their quality (positive and negative) more difficult to make.
Barry, I’m among that group who has had the '78 Rionda alongside the '78 Monfo and '89 Rionda and thought the former was perfect…but that was just on one occasion and your point regarding bottle variation is perhaps the most relevant.
Don’t know about “perfect”, but a 64 Giacosa Barbaresco Santo Stefano Riserva about 6 months ago was the equal of the greatest nebbiolos I’ve ever had–which would be the 78 and 89 Giacosa CR Riservas.
Barry, thanks for the great note. I am both excited for you and pained by the note. I poured a flawed bottle of this for Tom M. when he visited here over the winter. Wish it weren’t the only one I had. Thanks for this vicarious joy though.
I’m in the older ('78 and before) camp, and that '64 Santo Stefano is (along with the '78) not only the greatest Baroli I’ve ever had, but one of the best wines I’ve ever had.
This is very exciting to hear about. Thanks so much. I am obsessively fan-ful about '64, especially in Burgundy and Piedmont, but also Graves and right bank Bordeaux (when someone else brings it). Perhaps '71 is better in all these places, or some, but both are superior vintages not tainted in the collective memory by bullhorn success in Bordeaux…
ditto for me, together with Borgogno Riserva 1947, of which I had 4 bottles, two have been perfect, one almost perfect and one, the only library release, amazing, but not a 55/60 years old Barolo.
Glad I still have a few of the original release