THE GREAT BAROLO TASTING - Taberna (27/11/2014)
Michael and Ying put together what I can only term as a once-in-a-lifetime Barolo tasting / dinner for our group, which Ying kindly hosted at Taberna. Thanks to generous contributions from all, especially Wah Keong with his 1940’s Monfortino flight, we had a fantastic line-up.
The wines were tasted semi-blind. We knew which wines were in which flights, but not the order that were served in. As always, the blind tastings were a great leveller. The various Giacomo Conterno Monfortinos (or should I say “Monfortini”) did not show quite as well as expected, while the Pio Cesare and Ceretto wines really surprised with their quality. It could well be perhaps the younger Monfortinos were not at peak (we had wines from the 1988, 1989 and 1990s) while the other wines were showing better. Whatever the case, the lesser lights certainly acquitted themselves very well.
The flight that we were all anticipating was, of course, the old Monfortinos from the 1940s. These were certainly very different. For one thing, the colour on each of them had all but faded, leaving them orange or amber, rather than reddish brown - it was a colour more reminiscent of mature very old Burg or Riesling than a mature red wine. Indeed, the flavour profile of the wines could as well have been those of old white Burgs - with honey and apple and pear and even stone fruit descriptors all over my notes. All of them also had some oxidative character - a little sherry-like, rancio note - some more, some less. But in spite of that, each of them was still alive; again, some barely hanging on, others still still very pleasurable to drink. All in all, it was a real treat to be tasting these little pieces of history.
I have not much more to add beyond the tasting notes themselves, safe to say that this tasting confirmed yet again how age-worthy a good Barolo is, and how these are assuredly amongst the great wines of the world.
APERITIF
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2002 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon - France, Champagne
Very good indeed. 2002 is turning out to be a very quickly maturing vintage. The Dom Pérignon, which is probably the 2002 that we have had the most of, is a case in point. The last bottle we drank was already noticeably advanced, but this was even more so. It had a creamy, buttery brioche nose, with white fruited aromas flecked with little floral hint and a little mineral undertone hiding underneath. The palate had a lovely roundness to it that made it drink like a much older Champagne, showing sweet red apple flavours with a little honeyed kiss. The mousse was starting to mellow, but this was still driven by little rivulets of fresh acidity, so that it was lively all the way into a decently long, if not exactly great finish, with lemon zest and gentle mineral and spice notes fanning out on the tail. Very delicious, and starting to drink precociously well. On reflection, and taking into the speed of maturation, I am not sure this has all that much room to improve over the very long, but it is yummy and it will develop quite nicely over the next few years. (93 pts.) -
1996 Coche-Dury Meursault - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault
As always, a very accomplished Meursault. The nose was distinctly Coche-Dury - super nutty, with whiffs of gunflint and a nice core of ripe white fruit and butternut squash aromas. It was very strong on the palate, with a creamy depth that belied its village status, and lots of freshness lent to it by a stream of lemony acidity racing through deep white fruit notes and right into a great finish with a reservoir of stony minerality laced with nutty toffee accents. Long, pure and lovely - this is a Meursault village par excellence. (92 pts.)
1990 & 1988 (opened 2 hours before service)
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1990 Pio Cesare Barolo - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
This was just infected with a hint of cork taint I think, but it was otherwise very good – good enough indeed to stand shoulder to shoulder with some with the other wines in the flight. It had a lovely nose, very meaty, with a little spice and menthol and then a floral note floating out amidst subtle black-fruited scents. Only a faint whiff of cardboard here and there hinted at a less than perfect wine. On to drinking, there was a lovely roundness on the fore-palate, with meat and tar woven through black fruited berries and lighter hawthorn flavours supported by a backbone of fine, firm tannins and lovely juicy acidity that gave the wine a nice grip. While it had a nice sense of purity to it, I also got the sense that there was a tightly wound core that really needed time to unfurl. The finish was just a tad short and stubborn as well, fading away with a little prickly, brambly spice. That aside, this was very impressive. I think it has the chops to last just about forever, but if you do not want to drink it too young, I would give it another 10 years at least. (93 pts.) -
1990 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Riserva Monfortino - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Clearly quality, but boy, this was way, way too young. The nose was really reserved at first, showing a bit of meat and earth and little brambly tones slowly opening up with gentle drifts of cherry and fresh stalked flowers and a bit of menthol – all lovely high-toned, perfumy notes. The palate started out really tight as well. There was a lovely clarity to its subtle dark red fruit tones, but it seemed to lack much conviction and depth at first. Thankfully, that changed with time, with the wine opening up in a lovely show of purity, with those crystal clear tones of dark cherry met by shades of meat and spice on the midpalate. Beyond that, a lift of lovely acidity and a good grip of fine tannins lent their presence to a long tarry finish. I really liked the feel of the wine – this was really classy, with a lovely purity and a quiet strength to it - but boy was it ever too young. I think this bottle could even have been in a bit of an awkward state - there was just something in here that felt a little tight and a little hollow, not quite showing right. Whatever the case, this needs years, perhaps decades more. On the night, this was more a show of potential than anything else. (94 pts.) -
1990 Azienda Monsordo Bernardina (Ceretto) Barolo Zonchera - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Blind tastings really are great levellers - this relatively humble wine was superb. It was my favourite in the flight, perhaps even of the night, beating out a starry line-up including a very impressive but far from ready 1990 Monfortino. The Zonchera had a wonderful nose, almost feminine, with fragrant spice and perfumy floral notes accompanying sweet dark fruit aromas with a little earth touches at the side. Lovely. The palate had that same feminine feel to it, with a lovely effortless depth to its clean, clear dark fruit fruit floating on a base of truffley mushroom notes. There was almost balletic, tip-toey balance and a pure, elegant feel to the way it all came together, so that it was almost gentle in the way in caressed the palate. It was only on the finish where the tannins asserted themselves, with a slight powdery, mouth-coating grip, as the dark fruit was kissed with a touch of herb and spice and a twist of orange peel. A very complete, very balanced wine and, unlike some of the others on show, this was quite drinking at peak. Bravo. (95 pts.) -
1990 Poderi Aldo Conterno Barolo Bussia - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
The simplest of the wines on the flight, but not without its charms. It was certainly yummy, but in a rather undemanding, easy-going fashion. The nose started out a bit tight, with a squeak of earth, a bit of menthol and the tiniest hint of funk amidst indistinct shades of red fruit. But this soon opened up to show ripe dark berry aromas, some meaty accents and a sweet, pastry-like vanillin-oak accent – all in a nicely whole, well-integrated bouquet. The palate started out in a sweet attack, with more of those creamy oak hints nestling amidst sweet notes of strawberries and red berries. Nothing much in the way of complexity, but there was a nice clarity of expression and a delicious sappiness to the whole thing. The midpalate was just a little flatter I thought, not quite as fresh as on some of the other wines, but finish came in nicely with a glide of fine tannins and decent acidity lifting the wine as it closed out with touches of bramble, spice and menthol. A very pleasant wine, drinking well now. (92 pts.) -
1988 Pio Cesare Barolo - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Pretty good stuff - this was the most masculine of the wines on the flight. The nose was every so slightly oxidative, with a bit of a funky, meaty, mushroomy twang to go alongside its black fruit aromas touched with some orange peel and Chinese herb and a little drift of floral sweetness. Very nice - this was a savoury, masculine nose, though not overbearingly so. Those meaty, mushroomy tones were then echoed on the palate, where there was tons of umami here to go along with a sweet, black-fruited character. It was unusually ripe for 1988 I thought, but very yummy. The tannins were clearly softening, but they were still present enough to give the wine a good grip towards the finish, where more ripe black cherry notes were met with another layer of meaty flavours seasoned with a little herb and spice. This was very good, and starting to drink nicely at this point of its evolution. I do not think it should be kept for far longer though. (92 pts.) -
1988 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Riserva Monfortino - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Completely oxidised - a real pity. The nose was all mushrooms and browned fruit and funk. Really quite sad, because the palate gave a semblance of what a great wine this would have been. It had a lovely textural feel in the mouth, with fine tannins and integrated acidity hinting at a noble structure, and sweet, full tones of black cherry fruit on the attack hinting noble structure, sweet, ripe, full black cherry fruit hinting at how delicious it would have been. It was clearly flawed though. Past the mipalate, everything was a bit dried out and raisined, ending in a short, abrupt finish. Sigh. NR (flawed)
1989 & 1971 (Opened 3 hours before service)
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1989 Pio Cesare Barolo - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Yet another Pio Cesare that over-delivered when served blind - this was very quite delicious. It had lovely nose, with earthy, mushroomy truffles and meaty accents on a bed of dark fruited aromas, and then drifts of lifted spice, bramble and floral notes. The palate had a clean, bright feel to it, with lovely acidity and fine tannins running through pure, sweet red fruit expression. Maybe not the most complex, but there was a nice focus and a harmonious singularity about the wine that made it really delicious to drink. Nice finish too, again, with lots of clean red fruited notes touched with spice and herb, all buoyed by a stream of juicy acidity. Very yummy, and drinking well now. It has the structure and balance to hold for quite some time to come though. (93 pts.) -
1989 Azienda Bricco Rocche (Ceretto) Barolo Bricco Rocche - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
From a magnum. This was very good, but clearly needed some time yet. It had a beautiful nose, with lot of perfumy floral tones and sweet red fruit aromas wreathed in a little smoky ring - this was your classic tar and roses. Wonderful stuff. The palate shared some of that beautiful, floral perfume on the attack, along with sweet red fruit seasoned with spice and fruit peel - kumquats I thought. With its fine tannins and cool, clean acidity, this had a really feminine feel to it. I probably would have guessed Babaresco if it was served double blind. The fruit pared down a bit past the midpalate, ceding the stage to a
of fragrant spice, with a little meaty grip and a kiss of tar at the finish. This is very good indeed, but needs time yet. If anything, there are still rather primary shades about the fruit and a some lack of mature complexity. In a magnum format at least, I would give it some 5-6 years more. (93 pts.)
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1971 Poderi Aldo Conterno Barolo Riserva Granbussia - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Mature and lovely - this was my favourite wine of the flight. It stood out immediately from amongst the 1989s that surrounded it, but while clearly older, it was no less alive or vibrant than its younger cousins. There was a nice patina of maturity on the nose, with lovely umami driven scents of dried mushrooms and cured meat and shades of earth along with fragrant notes of red fruit and dried flowers. Very nice. The palate was round and mellow, still nicely structured, but in a silkily elegant way, with lovely fresh acidity playing more of a role in keeping the wine sprightly than its softened tannins. It had lovely mellow flavours too, with a gentle complexity almost glowing though sweet tones of red fruit wed to earth and spice and meat winding its way into a long, velvety finish. A complete wine, beautifully integrated and wonderfully resolved. This was a great Barolo drinking at its delicious peak. (94 pts.) -
1989 Poderi Aldo Conterno Barolo Bussia - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Lovely. I thought this was a step-up from the 1990 that we had in the earlier flight. It had a beautiful but subtle nose, with gummy dark cherry aromas paired with a touch of meaty, mushroomy tones and sprigs of fresh herb and spice. Somewhat less expressive than the 1971 Granbussia that preceded it, but very attractive indeed. The palate started with a round, fleshy attack, with lovely flavours of sweet red cherries and berries. This leans out a little at midpalate, but it always had that lovely gentle sweetness as well as a juicy freshness that kept the fruit expression nice and pure. It finished very satisfyingly too, with shades of spice and a hint of menthol finish finding their place amongst the red fruit, before a savoury meaty twist and a gentle grip of fine tannins brought the wine to an end. Very good indeed, and drinking quite wonderfully now. (93 pts.)
1940’s & 1934 (Opened 1 hour before service)
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1947 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Riserva Monfortino Stravecchio - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
The strongest of the 1940s Monfortino flight. The colour had almost completely gone on the wine, so it looked almost like an old Riesling, with an amber glow to it. The nose was worryingly oxidative, with a cheesy twang and umami laden mushroom notes accompanying sweeter scents of dried cherries and browned apples. Surprisingly, the palate was still delicious, but it too was a bit oxidative, tasting almost like a very old white Burg, with browned apples and pears and a touch of sultanas drizzled with a golden honey glow. There was an ethereal sense of purity and balance on the wine though. While the tannins had gone, it was still held up wonderfully by fresh acidity that led it into a surprisingly long and delicious finish laced with honey and spice. Like the other wine’s in this flight, a bit of a curiosity, but very yummy indeed. Quite amazingly, it held on in the glass, not fading one bit over the half and hour or so that I nursed it. Quite a rare treat this. (93 pts.) -
1943 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Riserva Monfortino Stravecchio - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Still pleasurable enough, but this had clearly gone further downhill than the 1947 that preceded it. The colour had similar faded, so that this was more amber / orange than reddish brown. And while the nose was just lovely with its toss of earth and fragrant spice and dried flowers dancing around a core of honey and apple flesh notes, the palate was clearly thinning out. The tannins had gone, but there was enough acidity to keep it just about alive, showing lots of spice and herb, even something gingery, to go alongside sweet stone fruit and honey notes. It seemed rather empty after the attak at first, trailing away into a dried herb finish. Time in the glass did it some good, with the midpalate filling up quite surprisingly with gentle honeyed tones. Overall though, this was a wine enjoyed for its fading charm, with most vestiges of its former glory now long gone. (90 pts.) -
1945 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Riserva Monfortino Stravecchio - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
This one was clearly slipping over the hill. It was still quite drinkable, still quite interesting, but clearly losing its life. Like the other 1940s, the colour had faded into a tea-like amber shade. The nose was very tight at first, showing an indistinct, slightly funky bouquet - a real contrast to the expressive tones of the 1947 and 1943 that came before it. As it opened up, soft, melting tones of honey and apples and subtle scents of spice and hints of flowers started coming out, along with a whiff of oolong tea - all very faint though. The palate was clearly weakening as well. I liked what remained of the wine, with sweetly honeyed yellow fruit gently festooned with a little spice and a hint of herb. It was all just a touch flat and lifeless, especially as the wine slid into a weak finish. There was still a pleasant charm here, but this was a bit of curate’s egg. (88 pts.) -
1941 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Riserva Monfortino Stravecchio - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Surprisingly strong for an unheralded vintage. While this had clearly left its peak drinking window decades before, it was still quite fun to drink. The nose was quite lovely. While it had some oxidative sherry character, a nice touch of apples and honeyed cider notes drifted out along with a touch of funky earth. A bouquet with a lot of character on it if nothing else. It was on the palate that the wine surprised those. In contrast to the weakening but still pleasant 1943, and the close to flat-lining 1945 that came before it, this wine showed plenty of mouthfilling flavours, with malt honey and apples and spice, even a touch of sweet treacle, carried on a little rivulet of fresh acidity. The tannins had all fully resolved of course, but this still held its carriage pretty well. Towards the finish, a touch of toast, some fruit peel and a twist of slightly bittersweet herb saw the wine end with an interesting bit of complexity. Not perfect of course - this was certainly a lot thinner and showed far less conviction than one would expect of a Monfortino in full song - but, like the 1947 on the same flight, it was still a good drink. (91 pts.) -
1934 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Riserva Monfortino Stravecchio - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Still impressive. However, served alongside a flight of Monfortino from the 1940s, this really stood out as being almost completely different. For one thing, while the younger wines all sported faded amber hues that were as much reminiscent of old white wines as old reds, this still had a healthy brick-red tone to it. The nose seemed less oxidative too. Thus, while the cherry, plum or berry fruit had similar faded away, and the bouquet also showed the pears and apples and flowers of the other old wines, there was something sweeter, stronger, maybe even gummier about the fruit expression, and it was quite devoid of any rancio, sherry-like notes. The menthol character I often get in a younger Barolo was more distinct here as well. The last thing that stood out for me on the nose was a volatile whiff of acetone that came in and out. Nothing too distracting, but it was certainly there. On to the palate, this tasted very different again. It was a lot fleshier, rounder, with red fruit this time showing in notes of dried cherries and strawberries, even raspberries on the attack, shading into sour plums and kumquats past the midpalate. While the tannins had fully resolved, it was still very lively and fresh, with a good amount of acidity to go with the sweet fruit. This was the only wine that was clearly tasted like a red! The finish was impressive for something of this age too - long, full, with red fruit flecked by a nice spice. All in all, a very good wine. Not quite up to par with the best of the “young” wines that we had in previous flights (e.g. 1971 Aldo Conterno Grandbussia, 1990 Monfortino), but a solid drink in its own right, and still drinking quite well now. I wonder how to explain the difference between this and the bottles from the 1940s though and am interested to hear theories. Fake, provenance, bottle variation, admixture of other varietals - all distinct possibilities with a wine of this age. (93 pts.)
A PAIR FROM 1985
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1985 Azienda Bricco Rocche (Ceretto) Barolo Bricco Rocche - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Served blind, the Ceretto wines really surprised us all tonight. This made 3 out of 3 absolutely lovely bottles (the others being a 1990 Bernadina Zonchera and a magnum of 1989 Bricco Rocche in earlier flights). There was such a lovely, feminine nose on this, with melting scents of sweet red fruit - cherries and raspberries - wafting out of the glass alongside motes of earth and spice and rose petals. A wonderfully perfumed nose. The palate was absolutely lovely as well. Here, soft, melting tannins and beautifully integrated acidity enveloped pure, unadulterated flavours of red cherries and berries flecked with little highlights of spice and herb, all gliding silkily through the palace into long, clear, fresh finish. My only criticism is that this lacked a bit of the depth and layered complexity that would have lifted it into the echelons of greatness. It was nevertheless a beautiful wine though - just about a feminine and seductive a Barolo as I have ever had. This is in a lovely place now, but it has the balance and poise to keep for a very long time yet. Bravo. (94 pts.) -
1985 Domenico Clerico Barolo Ciabot Mentin Ginestra - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
The most modern wine of the night, and perhaps the most disappointing. There was a richness to the nose that brought this beyond even the 1990 Aldo Conterno Bussia, which in itself had some modern shadings. This had deeper, darker fruit aromas - black cherries and blackberries - along with a dose of exotic spice and fragrant herb, and then a twist of menthol and orange peel on bed of dried earth aromas. Not bad, but certainly different from the gentle perfume of the previous wines. The palate was decent. Again, ripe dark cherries and blackberries, herb and spice, and that twist of menthol in there. Very consistent with the nose. It was well balanced, with nice clear acidity bringing a much needed sense of purity to the wine. However, this somehow seemed rather simple and one-noted. I think it needs time - I would wager it would be better in 5-6 years from now. The finish was a bit drying, with some woody extraction still obvious in the wine. All in all, quite good, and one can really sense the quality of the raw material used here. On the other hand though, you can certainly also see the winemaker’s hand behind the wine. Not my favourite style of Barolo. (92 pts.)
THE LONE BABARESCO
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1958 Gaja Barbaresco - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
Tim’s generous contribution - this was very good indeed. Just slightly off-themed, but a wonderful way to end an epic night. The nose started out a little funky and furry, but with a bit of time, the smellier notes took a back-seat and lovely high-toned aromas of red cherries and berries, sweet spice and a musky floral perfume shared the stage with savoury tones of meat and earth. After the old, aristocratic curiosities from the 1930s and 1940s, the palate here seemed to burst out of the glass with youthful life and energy. It was already fully integrated and wonderfully soft and ready, but the wonderful fresh acidity that spread through the palate gave the wine’s pure, red fruited expression such vibrancy and deliciousness, with cherries and cranberries on the attack melting into earth and woddy spice on the midpalate and into a long, lovely finish lined with beautifully fine tannins. A wonderful wine. Again, maybe lacking a touch of complexity to propel it into the realm of greatness, but this is a wine I would drink anytime, all the time. Lovely stuff, at a very nice place on the night. (94 pts.)
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like that…