WCC Barolos & Barbarescos @ Yono's Restaurant, 8/22/2013

WCC BAROLO & BARBARESCO BLIND at Yono's Restaurant, Albany, NY, 8/22/2013

My local group got together to taste Barolo and Barbaresco at Yono's. Dominick Purnomo did a terrific job of making sure the food matched the wines perfectly. I organized the flights and the tasting was blind to everyone but me. Dinner started at 7pm and lasted till about 10:30.

The menu starts with an Amuse Bouche of Smoked Salmon Roulade with Chive Cream Cheese and a Dot of House-Made Mustard.

Click on any image with a border for a larger view of that image, and in some cases more image.

Flight 1: 1990 Produttori del Barbaresco Single-Vineyard Riservas
Grilled Natural Texas Quail, Natural Juices, Chanterelle Mushroom Risotto, Black Truffles.

Five of the nine single-vineyard cru riservas produced by Produttori del Barbaresco in 1990. These wines showed the kind of delicacy, elegance, and earlier maturity usually associated with Barbaresco, as compared to the Barolos of a similar age in Flight 2.

1990 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco Riserva Moccagatta - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
[Double decanted around 5pm.] Not a good bottle. Fading sherry with hints of fruit and mulch, but clearly not a good bottle, esp. considering the other four 1990s that followed. (NR)
1990 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco Riserva Pora - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
[Double decanted around 5pm.] Smoky cherry nose. A touch astringent at first. Opening up in the glass over a half hour. Earth and cherries on the long finish. Lovely. Really shows itself with the quail. (93 points)
1990 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco Riserva Paje - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
[Double decanted around 5pm.] Complex, smoky red fruit. Silky and elegant. Shows even better with the quail. (92 points)
1990 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco Riserva Montefico - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
[Double decanted around 5pm.] More fragrant and open than the previous wines. Just gorgeous with a lightness of being. (93 points)
1990 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco Riserva Montestefano - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
[Double decanted around 5pm.] The best of the flight. Earthy and ethereal. Again, really shows its stuff with the quail. Group #2 WOTN. (94 points)

Flight 2: 1988-1990 Barolo
Sausage & Fennel Ragu over Papparedelle with Grana Padano.

1988 Elio Altare Barolo - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Double decanted around 3pm.] Huge, tannic, not enough fruit, but sweet and appealing. Classic 1988 Barolo. No reason to hold further. (92 points)
1989 Paolo Scavino Barolo Bric dël Fiasc - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Double decanted around 4pm.] Classic Barolo. Big and complex with earth, mulch mushrooms. Stunning, with a long complex finish. Really a terrific bottle of Barolo with no sign of new oak remaining. Should continue to drink well for at least another decade. Group #3 WOTN only 1 point behind #2. (94 points)
1989 Bruno Giacosa Barolo Villero di Castiglione Falletto - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Double decanted around 5pm.] Stunning aromatics with flowers, fruit, and earth. Just fantastic balance and harmony. Complex, long finish. My #1 WOTN and the group's #1 WOTN by a huge margin. With 12 people voting, this got 9 votes for WOTN plus one 2nd place vote. (96 points)
1990 Bruno Giacosa Barolo Villero di Castiglione Falletto - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Double decanted around 4pm.] Stunningly aromatic with balsam, cherries, and tar. Full in the mouth. A touch sour on the finish keeps this from being great. (93 points)
1989 Parusso Barolo Mariondino - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Double decanted around 4pm.] The vintage shines through. A depth and richness I don't normally find in this wine. Sweet. A pleasure to drink. (93 points)
1990 Parusso Barolo Mariondino - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Double decanted around 5pm.] Others like this more than I did. I found it had an odd green streak with I had not noticed in previous bottles (which I think were all mags). (NR)

Flight 3: Younger Barolos
Barolo-Braised Black Angus Short Rib, Creamy Polenta, Grilled Summer Vegetables.
This dish is a real tour de force.

1997 Vietti Barolo Castiglione - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Decanted around 11:30am and left it in the decanter until 3pm.] Young and sweet with nice tannin and tar. Not a lot of complexity, but may blossom with anoother 5-10 years in the cellar. (92 points)
2000 Giovanni Corino Barolo Roncaglie - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Double decanted around 5pm.] Young, thick, gunky. Impressive young wine, but barely recognizable as Barolo. (91 points)
2007 Giovanni Corino Barolo Vigna Giachini - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Double decanted around 6am.] Surprisingly similar to the 2000. Appealing but spoofy. (89 points)

Conclusion
Taleggio, Grana Padano, Pistachios, Crostini, Summer Fruit Compote.

It was reassuring that the group overwhelmingly chose the 89 Giacosa Villero as the WOTN, by one of the largest margins ever.

I don't like to perpetuate stereotypes in any context, but Flights 1 and 2 clearly demonstrated the stereotypical view that Barbaresco is more delicate than Barolo and matures earlier. Part of that is due to the purity and simplicity of the winemaking at Produttori. I did not set up these flights with that goal in mind. Still, several people guessed that the first flight was Barbaresco and the second was Barolo.

Notes posted from CellarTracker

WOTN Voting (3pts each for #1, 2pts for #2, 1pt for #3)

Rank	Pts	Wine
1	29	1989 Giacosa Villero
2	11	1990 Produttori Montestefano
3	10	1989 Scavino Fiasc
4	7	1990 Giacosa Villero
5(tie)	4	1989 Parusso Mariondino
5(tie)	4	2007 Corino Giachini
7	3	1990 Produttori Paje

People Pix

As you can see, these were taken before anyone had any wine.