TN: Barolo and Barbaresco Dinner

WINE TALK
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WCC BAROLO AND BARBARESCO DINNER - The Chef's Table at Cafe Capriccio, Albany, NY (11/17/2022)

My Albany group met in the private dining room (The Chef's Table) of Café Capriccio to taste ten Barolos and one Barbaresco. Chef/Owner Jim Rua prepared a fabulous meal in this open kitchen.

Dinner started around 7:30 and ended around 10pm.

Photos, food, and more details can be found on my website.

Flight 1

  • 1967 Prunotto Barbaresco Riserva - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
    [Double-decanted for 4 hours at 1pm.] Bright cherry nose with hints of something floral. Delicate, mature, complex. Long finish of cherries and mulch. Drinking well now. (94 points)
  • 1967 Luigi Calissano Barolo Riserva Speciale - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
    [Double-decanted around 11am.] Big smoky nose of black cherries. Big, rich, juicy, complex, with high density for a 55 year old wine. Reminds me of the 1967 G. Mascarello Barolo and a few other 67s which had surprising richness for such an old wine. Long finish of plums and cherries and forest floor. This bottle was a gift from Bill Klapp. (94 points)
  • 1967 Giacomo Conterno Barolo - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
    [Double-decanted around 11am.] Dried cherries and tar in the nose. Complex, ethereal. Delicate and expansive. A beautiful wine. (96 points)
  • 1982 Podere Rocche dei Manzoni Barolo Riserva - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
    [Double-decanted for 40 minutes at 4pm.] Black cherries and chocolate nose. Silky, rich, and delicious. Still on the young side. (93 points)

Flight 2

  • 1988 Roberto Voerzio Barolo Cerequio - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
    [Double-decanted for 4.5 hours at 2pm.] Stunning nose of ripe red fruit. Rich, complex, long, with lots of sweet fruit. I think the modernist approach worked really well in this otherwise overly tannic vintage. (94 points)
  • 1993 Paolo Scavino Barolo Bric dël Fiasc - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
    [Double-decanted for 4 hours at 2pm.] Muted nose of chocolate-covered cherries. Juicy and tasty, but a bit monolithic. Still, quite good for the vintage. Long finish. (93 points)
  • 2000 Elio Grasso Barolo Gavarini Chiniera - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
    [Double-decanted for 3 hours at 2pm.] Nose of cherries, tar, and licorice. Medium length. Ripe and juicy. (92 points)
  • 2001 Elio Grasso Barolo Gavarini Chiniera - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
    [Double-decanted at 1pm.] Muted nose of ripe fruit. Black fruit and chocolate. Savory. Elegant. (93 points)

Flight 3

  • 1990 Bartolo Mascarello Barolo - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
    [Double-decanted around 11am.] Sweet cherry nose. The fruit is so sweet in the nose and the palate, yet there is a delicateness to the texture and flavor. Subtle complex, long finish. Goes on and on. Just gorgeous. Classic Barolo from the Barolo/La Morra side of the zone.
    Day 2: Thicker, darker. Loads of dark red fruit. Long ethereal finish. (96 points)
  • 1990 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Cascina Francia - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
    [Double-decanted around 11am.] Dark cherry and licorice nose. Rich, mouth filling, expansive. Wow, that one is singing tonight. Classic powerful Barolo from Serralunga and G. Conterno.
    Day 2: Thick, rich, still tannic, but with loads of dark fruit. Hints of coffee. Terrific. (97 points)
  • 1990 Bruno Giacosa Barolo Riserva Falletto di Serralunga d'Alba - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
    [Double-decanted around 11am.] Heavenly nose of red fruit and spice. Long and delicious. This is in a great place. Stunningly complex. This is what Giacosa is all about. Group WOTN and my WOTN.
    Day2: Fantastic. Classic Giacosa nose of fruitcake and roses. Silky in the mouth in spite of the underlying tannin. Getting some dried fruit on the long finish. (98 points)

No bad bottles and a lot of very good ones!

Posted from CellarTracker

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Wow, that’s a crazy good line up, all the heavy hitters. I checked out your site, the food looks equally amazing. I honestly don’t know how you ate all those courses and drank all that wine lol. I probably could do either but not both; its like my stomach shrank with age. Not surprised by WOTN, fantastic producer and bottle.

Seriously though, well done and thanks for the notes.

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Outstanding! Thanks for sharing. Nice to see the notes on the 67s! Last one I had was tiring a little, like me at 55yrs.

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What a lineup, sounds like a dream and thanks for the write up Ken!

For the flight 3 wines; all three got the second day try - did you feel that they were equality great both days just with slight evolution like you mentioned for BM with darker fruits there as well (in cases where it changed), or showing better one or the other day?

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No duds is remarkable. Enjoy those moments!

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I didn’t finish all that food. I left part of course 1 and I took home most of course 3 (which my wife appreciated). I did somehow manage to finish dessert. :wink:

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So Italians use better corks?
*when’s the last time we saw a set of wines this age without a bad one in the bunch?

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Sometimes it’s just luck. Another group I’m in had a run of tasting with at most one bad bottle. Then we had one where there was something wrong with almost every bottle.

FWIW all these folks are very careful about sourcing and storing their wines. Also 5 of these wines were from my cellar.

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All 3 were different from day 1, but not dramatically so. The Conterno was perhaps more expressive.

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Thanks Ken.
One of the thing and love and keep being fascinated about when it comes to nebbiolo is how it keeps evolving over time. Not only age, but also from opening as well in the glass.

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Chris Thile says that great Nebbiolo reminds him of Bach with its many intertwined flavors.

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What an incredible evening! Amazing wines with food to match and looks like a great group of friends. Well done!

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It’s a great analogy catching the widths and balance/harmony of Nebbiolo!

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what a great lineup!

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These are fantastic notes on a beautiful lineup, Ken. Like many, I am particularly keen on decant times and bottle prep.

I am so glad so many of them showed well. This is a class lineup which commands some attention.

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Thanks for all the comments. This group has been together over 30 years. Most of the members focus on France and California, so I organize all the Italian wine dinners. 5 of these bottles were from my cellar including the whole last flight.