Need some quick advice: best glass for old Barolo?

[Bill_Boykin]

@Al Osterheld

Old Barolo needs a lot of aeration, often starts out funky. I use a burg glass.

-Al

I disagree in that it’s too much of a generalization.
Too much (a lot of) aeration can be a recipe for disaster with many older Baroli…

[Keith_Goldstein]

I follow the advice of Manny Berk of Rare Wine Co and decant my old Barolo around noon. i put it back on the bottle around 5. This makes quite a difference to good 61, 64 and 67 Baroli.

[ToddFrench]

I’m with Ken - I’ll start with Pinot/Burg glass, but if it doesn’t seem to work, it’s always fun to try another stem

[Andrew_L]

For my 50+ year old Barolo, I generally start the day before service by putting it in the blender for six 5 second pulses, then pour directly in to a wide bottom decanter where it sits for 16 hours. From there, I pour it back in to the bottle, and slow ox for approximately 8 hours, or until served. During this process, I perform black magic, cast voodoo spells, and pray to the wine gods for a magnificent showing.

[John_Morris]

@Bill Boykin

@Al Osterheld

Old Barolo needs a lot of aeration, often starts out funky. I use a burg glass.

-Al

I disagree in that it’s too much of a generalization.
Too much (a lot of) aeration can be a recipe for disaster with many older Baroli…

+1

Though the odds of an old Barolo surviving a lot of roughing up are better than with any other old wine!

[Al_Osterheld]

I disagree in that it’s too much of a generalization.
Too much (a lot of) aeration can be a recipe for disaster with many older Baroli…

Agreed that it’s probably too broad a generalization. But I meant slow oxygenation rather than vigorous aeration, I wouldn’t do that to an older wine. But I’ve had many older Baroli that started out smelling funky or off that turned into nice wines with time (and more time than you can get during a typical meal if you pop and pour).

-Al

[Bill_Klapp_deactivated]

John and Bill, while I can agree that overaeration can be a problem, I would say not often so for the best vintages and the best addresses. 1967s are dicey business at this point, whereas you could have Michel Rolland pump oxygen into most 1978s and do no damage. The Barolo glass of choice in the Piemonte is pretty much always a Burgundy glass, usually the Riedel angular restaurant glass distributed by Gaja. I find that the Riedel 32 oz. monster is far and away the best Nebbiolo glass when there is no overaeration threat, and I use the smaller, more compact Riedel Vinum Burgundy glass for more delicate older Baroli, as well as everyday Nebbiolo and Barbera. No magic to Riedel per se, as comparable glassware is available from a number of producers …

[Bill_Boykin]

@Bill Klapp

John and Bill, while I can agree that overaeration can be a problem, I would say not often so for the best vintages and the best addresses. 1967s are dicey business at this point, whereas you could have Michel Rolland pump oxygen into most 1978s and do no damage. The Barolo glass of choice in the Piemonte is pretty much always a Burgundy glass, usually the Riedel angular restaurant glass distributed by Gaja. I find that the Riedel 32 oz. monster is far and away the best Nebbiolo glass when there is no overaeration threat, and I use the smaller, more compact Riedel Vinum Burgundy glass for more delicate older Baroli, as well as everyday Nebbiolo and Barbera. No magic to Riedel per se, as comparable glassware is available from a number of producers …

Agreed on all points,even the glassware.
We can’t make a habit of this,though…

[John_Morris]

@Bill Klapp

The Barolo glass of choice in the Piemonte is pretty much always a Burgundy glass, usually the Riedel angular restaurant glass distributed by Gaja.

Guess we’ve visited different places. I’ve usually had ~22 oz. Bordeaux glasses at the cantine.

[Howard_Cooper]

@Ken V

@Howard Cooper

@Sanjay Nandurkar

You are not drinking straight from the bottle?

MIght be easier than figuring out the right glass. I have the Riedel Vinum Burg and the Riedel Vinum Bordeaux. You guys have confused me as to which one to use for Barolo and Barbaresco. If it matters, I am left-handed, in my 50s and a lawyer.

As a lawyer, you should drink all your wine from an enema bag!

Now that is not very nice.

[Bill_Klapp_deactivated]

@John Morris

@Bill Klapp

The Barolo glass of choice in the Piemonte is pretty much always a Burgundy glass, usually the Riedel angular restaurant glass distributed by Gaja.

Guess we’ve visited different places. I’ve usually had ~22 oz. Bordeaux glasses at the cantine.

Speaking of ristoranti here, and not even of trattorie or osterie, where glassware is a crapshoot…

[Bill_Klapp_deactivated]

@Bill Boykin

@Bill Klapp

John and Bill, while I can agree that overaeration can be a problem, I would say not often so for the best vintages and the best addresses. 1967s are dicey business at this point, whereas you could have Michel Rolland pump oxygen into most 1978s and do no damage. The Barolo glass of choice in the Piemonte is pretty much always a Burgundy glass, usually the Riedel angular restaurant glass distributed by Gaja. I find that the Riedel 32 oz. monster is far and away the best Nebbiolo glass when there is no overaeration threat, and I use the smaller, more compact Riedel Vinum Burgundy glass for more delicate older Baroli, as well as everyday Nebbiolo and Barbera. No magic to Riedel per se, as comparable glassware is available from a number of producers …

Agreed on all points,even the glassware.
We can’t make a habit of this,though…

I could always go back to my “G. Mascarello wines are second-tier” rant if you like! Even that will be tough now. In April, an Italian friend and I were having lunch at a B&B whose owner is tight with Mauro and always has his wines available. My friend and I at one table, four people at another table. I order a bottle of 2004 Monprivato. The owner smiles and says, “That’s Mauro seated facing away from you, along with his wife Maria Teresa and two oenologists from Torino.” [Editor’s note: Things were not going all that well in the vineyards this spring.] At the same time, I looked at the wine service table next to me and saw open bottles of the 2005 Monprivato and the 2003 Morissio. Nothing was said, and everyone got on with their meals. As my friend and I were finishing, Mauro got up, came over to the table and introduced himself in halting English. He asked if I speak Italian, and I said yes. He proceeded to give us an eloquent dissertation on every Monprivato vintage from 2001 on! Meanwhile, he summons up 4 more glasses, and plunks half-full bottles of the 2005 Monprivato and 2003 Morissio (265 Euro on the wine list, as I recall) down on our table, so that my friend and I can compare and contrast the three vintages. That did not suck, as they say, and it would make it very difficult for me to disparage the man’s wines!

[Jay_Miller]

@john stimson

FWIW, I think there is a Riedel Lawyer’s Series in the works.

Yes, but I’m told that for pre-1971 Baroli that the Washington DC line of stemware is marginally preferable to the Lawyer line for DC lawyers. Of course you can plunk down for a DC Lawyer Barolo glass but how many people have that kind of money?

[Bill_Boykin]

@Bill Klapp

@Bill Boykin

@Bill Klapp

John and Bill, while I can agree that overaeration can be a problem, I would say not often so for the best vintages and the best addresses. 1967s are dicey business at this point, whereas you could have Michel Rolland pump oxygen into most 1978s and do no damage. The Barolo glass of choice in the Piemonte is pretty much always a Burgundy glass, usually the Riedel angular restaurant glass distributed by Gaja. I find that the Riedel 32 oz. monster is far and away the best Nebbiolo glass when there is no overaeration threat, and I use the smaller, more compact Riedel Vinum Burgundy glass for more delicate older Baroli, as well as everyday Nebbiolo and Barbera. No magic to Riedel per se, as comparable glassware is available from a number of producers …

Agreed on all points,even the glassware.
We can’t make a habit of this,though…

I could always go back to my “G. Mascarello wines are second-tier” rant if you like! Even that will be tough now. In April, an Italian friend and I were having lunch at a B&B whose owner is tight with Mauro and always has his wines available. My friend and I at one table, four people at another table. I order a bottle of 2004 Monprivato. The owner smiles and says, “That’s Mauro seated facing away from you, along with his wife Maria Teresa and two oenologists from Torino.” [Editor’s note: Things were not going all that well in the vineyards this spring.] At the same time, I looked at the wine service table next to me and saw open bottles of the 2005 Monprivato and the 2003 Morissio. Nothing was said, and everyone got on with their meals. As my friend and I were finishing, Mauro got up, came over to the table and introduced himself in halting English. He asked if I speak Italian, and I said yes. He proceeded to give us an eloquent dissertation on every Monprivato vintage from 2001 on! Meanwhile, he summons up 4 more glasses, and plunks half-full bottles of the 2005 Monprivato and 2003 Morissio (265 Euro on the wine list, as I recall) down on our table, so that my friend and I can compare and contrast the three vintages. That did not suck, as they say, and it would make it very difficult for me to disparage the man’s wines!

Now that’s a nice story,and yes,it will now be difficult for you to relegate the Monprivati to lesser than status…unless you go by the name of JLeve…
How was the 03 C’a?

[John_Morris]

@Bill Klapp

As my friend and I were finishing, Mauro got up, came over to the table and introduced himself in halting English. He asked if I speak Italian, and I said yes. He proceeded to give us an eloquent dissertation on every Monprivato vintage from 2001 on!

You were wise to stick to Italian. I made the mistake of suggesting French the first time we met in 2005 at the cantina out of deference to a friend I was travelling with who didn’t speak Italian. It turns out that Mauro has a somewhat approximate notion of French, with no clear line between it and Piemontese dialetto. That sort of makes sense if you know that Provencal and Piemontese are closely related (and to Catalan). But comprehending the reason for his form of French did help much in decyphering it.

The really funny thing is that when I met him again here in NY a few years later, I remembered speaking French with him but forgot what that entailed and suggested a second time that we use French!

One more endearing thing about a wonderful, passionate man.

[SteveC]

My favorite glass for all but the most fragile Nebbs is the Riedel Vivant Burgundy glass from Target. Great glass, 24 ounces. A poor man’s Riedel sommelier burgundy glass. Love it for Burgs, Nebbs, Riojas!

[Matt_Neel]

@Keith Goldstein

I follow the advice of Manny Berk of Rare Wine Co and decant my old Barolo around noon. i put it back on the bottle around 5. This makes quite a difference to good 61, 64 and 67 Baroli.

Now why would you ever listen to him about old Barolo…?

[Michel_D]

When in Venice I went to a wine bar and got served Barolo in the “right” glass. Between the 4 of us the bottle was poured and it was barely visible, huge glasses - since the Barolo is known as the king wine, I assume the glass size matched the royalty

[Merrill_Lindquist]

@Ken V

@john stimson

The Riedel Old Barolo glass. Be sure to get the left handed version if you’re a lefty.

They now have a 1967 Barolo glass. You must run out and buy a set. But whatever you do, do not pour any 1964 Barolo in such a glass. It will explode.

Professor, you are really, really out there. But you knew that .

[John_Morris]

@Michel D.

When in Venice I went to a wine bar and got served Barolo in the “right” glass. Between the 4 of us the bottle was poured and it was barely visible, huge glasses - since the Barolo is known as the king wine, I assume the glass size matched the royalty

That was presumably a young Barolo, which can certainly take that treatment.