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Eric White
San Ramon, CA
Advanced Sommelier
Posts:9127
 | | 03/20/2008 7:26 PM |
| I’d had the idea of a Borgogno vertical in the back of my head for some time, and I was very pleased to finally pull it together this past weekend, when 13 enthusiasts of old Barolo got together to enjoy the most comprehensive lineup we could assemble. The more I’ve gotten into old Barolo the more I’ve come to really appreciate Borgogno, which has become, more or less, my “go-to” producer for reliably good and oftentimes superb Barolo at prices that, given the quality, can only be considered as significantly undervalued. With that in mind my goal was to assemble as many of the great vintages as I could, along with a few “lesser” vintages to see how this producer fairs when conditions aren’t as ideal.The cast of characters for the evening included:Yours truly, and my lovely bride of 18 years, TeriWinemaker extraordinaire Thomas Rivers BrownWinemaker extraordinaire Ed KurtzmanAll around great guy Tony VelebilDear friends Angela Lim and AmyDamon Levy and his lovely brideSommelier extraordinaire Michael ChandlerCellar rat extraordinaire John OgelsbyPinot Days King & Queen, Steve & Lisa RigisichThe tasting took place over a custom dinner at Postino, in Layafette, CA., which did an awesome job on the six-course meal, and I hope enjoyed some leftover rare old wine after we left!
On to the wines! I’ve sort of fallen off taking notes at dinners, preferring instead to enjoy the wines and the company unencumbered. I felt this dinner deserved an exception, but you’ll have to forgive the brevity of some of these notes, particularly as the evening wore on. All wines were original releases (red capsules) unless noted otherwise. Most wines were double decanted a couple hours before the dinner.We began with some passed appetizers and a few starter whites, of which I only made some brief notes:1992 Michel Colin-Deléger et Fils Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Chenevottes Wow, what a terrific wine. Absolutely in a perfect place right now, drinking beautifully, the wine had great balance, purity, and depth. Showing plenty of fruit and a an excellent mouthfeel, with good weight but never heavy, nice minerality, and a long finish.1990 Stony Hill Chardonnay – dead.2002 Louis Latour Corton-Charlemagne – ok, but not showing at this time as well as it should. Still closed? Seemed so, as it just wasn’t showing much at all.1989 Poniatowski Vouvray Aigle Blanc – excellent, moderate sweetness, terrific balance, seemingly still young, I would expect this wine to continue to evolve for another 20+ years!
Flight #1: 47, 52, 55, 611947 Borgogno Barolo Riserva I have had the ’47 on 4 or 5 occasions now, and the wine has never let me down, always stepping up to show us just how great a vintage 1947 must have been. This experience was no exception, the wine is just beautiful, with soaring floral aromatics, perfumed notes of roses, earth, tar, and very delicate red fruits. Impeccably balanced, the wine has depth, complexity, lovely delicate texture, lively acidity, and a long fine finish. A benchmark wine for me, 97 points, my WOTF, and WOTN.1952 Borgogno Barolo RiservaCertainly the most muted nose in this flight, I think some at the table found this wine a bit thin. However, I loved it for its lightness and delicacy. The nose on the wine is very pretty, floral and light, wispy and charming. The palate matches the nose, with a very delicate texture, shy but lovely flavors, very light fruit, good balance, virtually no tannins, and a short finish. This won’t likely WOW anyone, but it is very nice in an elegant, light bodied way. 89 points.1955 Borgogno Barolo Riserva What a contrast from the previous two wines, this wine clearly shows the power and strength of the ’55 vintage. This is a big, muscular wine, with plenty of structure, still formidable tannins, and a great backbone of acidity. The nose is perfumed with notes of roses, strawberries, and tar, while the palate delivers a rich textured wine, finishing long and very fine. An outstand wine, 96 points, and my #2 WOTN.1961 Borgogno Barolo Riserva (library/reconditioned release) This was the first time I had had an opportunity to try winery recondition bottle of Borgogno from any vintage, and as the evening would continue to show, the difference between original releases and library releases is huge (my preference going heavily toward the original releases). While good, this wine was showing MUCH younger than the ’61 vintage label would have you believe, very dark red in color, with a nose of caramel notes and dark berries. Lots of structure, decent balance, but somewhat awkward. 85 points.Group votes:
#1 – 1947 (16 points) #2 – 1955 (9 points)#3 – 1952 (8 points)Flight #2: 58, 58, 67, 71For this flight I decided it would be nice to throw in the ’58 Barbaresco and taste it side-by-side with the ’58 Barolo. I am glad I did.1958 Borgogno Barbaresco Riserva More and more I am finding 1958 to be one of my favorite older vintages, I think I am becoming smitten. This was simply a beautiful wine. Starting with a hugely perfumed nose, rich with roses, bright red fruits, and earth notes. Very complex, with excellent structure, surprisingly still moderate tannins, great acidity, and a long finish. A powerful Barbaresco that could still go several more years. 95 points, my #2 of the flight.1958 Borgogno Barolo Riserva It was great to taste these two ‘58s side by side, and the difference was night and day, with my preference going only slightly to the Barolo. A terrific nose of strawberries, roses, tar, and underbrush, this is a complete and complex wine, with tremendous depth and complexity, and one of those noses that one can be happy just smelling forever. The finish is clean, long, and fine, 96 points, my #1 of the flight, and #3 WOTN.1967 Borgogno Barolo Riserva Slightly muted nose, not the best showing of this wine I’ve ever had, but the palate is great, smooth and fine, rich in texture, and with interesting garrigue/herbal aspect. 88 points.1971 Borgogno Barolo Riserva This wine has always puzzled me, and it was reassuring to hear I am not alone. For such a strong vintage, and from such a strong producer, this has always performed significantly under expectations. I’ve had bad bottles, mediocre bottles, and one really good bottle. Sadly, this feel into the high-end of mediocre, and like previous examples was simply flat and boring.Group votes: #1 1958 Barbaresco (15 points)#2 1958 Barolo (11 points)#3 1967 (11 points – but the ’58 got more 1st place votes)Flight #3: 64, 69, 70, 741964 Borgogno Barolo Riserva The 64 Borgogno has always been one of my favorites, and this performed right up to my expectations. The wine possesses a great sweet core of fruit, just amazing really that a wine of 38 years could have this wealth of fruit still. The nose presents aromas of sweet red fruit – strawberries, raspberries, along with light earth. On the palate the wine is soft, broad, sweet (not as in RS), with very fine subtle tannins, just a sexy wine that I find irresistible, and so easy to drink. Finishes long and sweet. 94 points, my #1 of the flight.1969 Borgogno Barolo Riserva This was the first time I have had this vintage. I think on it’s own this wine would be very pleasing, but in this company I think it showed the relative weakness of the vintage. Still very firm and tannic, with plenty of structure, but some hard edges that might smooth out in time, but will the fruit last? Still, it had a nice red fruit profile, with earthy notes, but lacked a bit of complexity. 86? Points.1970 Borgogno Barolo Riserva Another first for me, and the wine surprised me, exceeding my expectations. I guess I wasn’t expecting much, but the wine was just lovely, with a terrific “pretty” nose of strawberries, raspberries, and stones. On the palate the wine shows a surprising amount of sweet fruit, and is lush and supple, with a nice medium finish. Fully mature now, the wine is one to drink today. 90 points, my #2 of the flight.1974 Borgogno Barolo Riserva (library/reconditioned release) This was a bit odd! Nothing even resembling an original release ’74 I had not too long ago, the wine is very young! Oddly I found vanilla notes dominated the wine (something I have never found before in any Borgogno), but it also had nice fruit (on the darker side of the fruit profile), and the wine was firmly tannic. I would guess another 10+ years would be good here. 88? Points.Group votes: #1 – tie! 1964 (14 points) 1970 (14 points) #3 – 1969 (9 points)Flight #4: 78, 82, 90, 96 Honestly, this flight reminded me why I never really “got” Italian wines before I started buying aged examples. Maybe it was all the fine aged wines that came before that spoiled me, but I found this flight to be tough, the wines are just too young!1978 Borgogno Barolo Riserva (library/reconditioned release) Really tannic, hard, low on fruit, low on nuance. Maybe a couple days of air or another 20 years in the cellar? NR1982 Borgogno Barolo Riserva (library/reconditioned release) Really nice nose, very dark fruit profile, very tannic, hard, too young to really enjoy.1990 Borgogno Barolo Riserva (library/reconditioned release) My favorite of the flight, but I failed to take notes on it. From memory, the wine was very young, quite tannic, but showed the most potential out this flight, with some very interesting aromatics, and I recall one being a sort of wild sage sort of thing that I might associated with a Rhone wine.1996 Borgogno Barolo (Normale) Again, I failed to take notes on this wine, but I recall it being nice, but too young.Group votes (with a lot of people abstaining) #1 – 1996 (9 points) #2 – 1982 (8 points) (but the 82 had more 1st place votes, the 96 more 2nd place votes) #3 – 1990 (5 points)We finished the meal with a couple of outstanding sweet wines. I was done taking notes at this point, but from memory:1990 Suduiraut Sauternes Beautiful color, just starting to turn amber, the wine is just a delight to drink. Clearly still has a long future in front of it, but there is no sin in opening it now, as it is just starting to develop those lovely aged characteristics. Had me screaming inside for a Foie Gras course!2004 Maculan Madoro (Italy) Wow, this was an interesting wine! Someone immediately said that it tasted like a high quality Napa Cab (Harlan) with residual sugar – I haven’t had much Harlan, but I think this description nailed it. Absolutely delicious, the wine has great balance, sweet but not overly so, great depth, just a sexy, delightful wine! I think Antonio got it right with his 96 point assignment!All in all one hellova a great wine night! | | | |
| jason
Napa Valley
Wine Addict
Posts:6829
| | 03/21/2008 1:25 AM |
| | I can't believe I had to miss this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! | | | |
| Winetex
Austin, Texas
Master of Wine
Posts:10574
| | 03/21/2008 8:35 AM |
| Eric, thanks so much for the notes from this evening. What an awesome bunch of wines. I knew I shoulda hopped a plane.
I agree with you on the re-conditioned releases. The 1982 re-conditioned bottles that we've had really do not have many aged qualities that you get in the library releases. I still have a few 64s, 82s and one last 71. I fear the 71 will be as you note - the high end of mediocre. | | | |
| Eric White
San Ramon, CA
Advanced Sommelier
Posts:9127
| | 03/21/2008 11:21 AM |
| Jason, you were missed! Also, not many, but I do have a couple pics: Before leaving the house, the corks of the wines I brought. From left to right:
47, 52, 58 (Barbaresco), 55, 69, 70 And it was hard to try to get all these bottles in one shot, but this is the best I could do: | | | |
| jaimetown
DC area
Wine Bottler
Posts:3411
| | 03/21/2008 12:05 PM |
| | Eric, thanks for the great notes, sounds like it was a fantastic event. Did you find that tasting older wines first worked better for you in this case as you designed the flights, or in hindsight would you rather have tasted the new wines first? | | | |
| Eric White
San Ramon, CA
Advanced Sommelier
Posts:9127
| | 03/21/2008 2:01 PM |
| | Good question! To be honest, I think it would have been better to have had the young wines first (a bit to my surprise!). I think by the time we got to those youngsters my palate was pretty well spoiled by those delicate old wines, and the last flight was (for me) very difficult to appreciate. I think I would have enjoyed those young wines earlier in the evening, and I think the older wines would have shown just fine following them. | | | |
| jason
Napa Valley
Wine Addict
Posts:6829
| | 03/21/2008 2:21 PM |
| | People always look at me strange but I always recommend young before old, and new world before old world wines. | | | |
| MikeW
Fremont, CA
Grape Sorter
Posts:353
| | 03/21/2008 2:55 PM |
| | Eric - Great notes and tasting! Can you offer some suggestions about how to locate older Barolos? Is there a particular retailer who you would recommend as a good source? | | | |
| jaimetown
DC area
Wine Bottler
Posts:3411
| | 03/21/2008 3:10 PM |
| | Thanks Eric - it's interesting to see especially since you have such a wide spectrum of vintages, and seeing as how old Barolo is so different from young ones. | | | |
| winebrat
Sacramento, Ca.
Barrel Sampler
Posts:2326
| | 03/24/2008 3:14 PM |
| | Nice notes, Great evening. What is inline for next month? | |
"Everyday is worthy of a glass of sparkling wine" - Andrea Immer MS | |
| max
Grape Fermenter
Posts:570
| | 03/25/2008 9:18 AM |
| Posted By jason on 03/21/2008 2:21 PM
People always look at me strange but I always recommend young before old, and new world before old world wines.
I've often wondered about this. Most of our offlines tend to favor younger wines except for maybe a handful of mature old world wines. Our thoughts have been to drink the older wine first under the assumption that the younger tannic wines will create palate fatique.
| | | |
| jason
Napa Valley
Wine Addict
Posts:6829
| | 03/25/2008 12:19 PM |
| To me, if you drink old before new, or new world after old, the latter wines a lot of times will come across as simplistic, lacking the complexity/finesse whatever of the wines that preceded them.
I have had CA Cab and Syrah, followed by Cru Beaujolais before. The Cru Beaujolais not only held up fine, but even out shown the heavier wines. | | | |
| jaimetown
DC area
Wine Bottler
Posts:3411
| | 03/25/2008 4:09 PM |
| | Yes, I've been taught to order the wines in increasing levels of complexity. I'm sure that's what Jesus did when he performed his miracle too. | | | |
| Eric White
San Ramon, CA
Advanced Sommelier
Posts:9127
| | 03/25/2008 9:08 PM |
| I thought Jason was nuts when he told me he always goes youngest to oldest.
Now I don't think he's quite so nuts.
Well, maybe he is nuts, who am I to say? But in this case I am certain he would have been correct, nuts or nots. | | | |
| Winetex
Austin, Texas
Master of Wine
Posts:10574
| | 04/23/2008 8:56 AM |
| | Eric, we had the 82 last night. You mention a dark fruit profile, did you think the color was too dark for that particular bottle (also reconditioned) ? For a while I wasn't sure it was even Nebbiolo in aroma or taste. See my notes as our bottles have been all over the place. | | | |
| Eric White
San Ramon, CA
Advanced Sommelier
Posts:9127
| | 04/23/2008 9:29 AM |
| HeyYa Winetex,
Yes, as I recall the color was very dark - not at all reminicent of what you would expect from a Nebbiolo - particularly one of this age. Like you, I'm not particularly impressed so far with the reconditioned bottles. | | | |
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| Forums > Tasting Notes -- Europe > Italy-TNs > A Borgogno dream night! 47,52,55,58,58,61,64,67,69,70,71,74 ,78,80,82,90,96 +MORE!
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