NV 2001 Barbaresco and Barolo @ Marta, NYC, 4/7/2022

NV 2001 Barbaresco and Barolo Dinner
@ Marta Restaurant, 29 E 29th St, NYC, 4/7/2022

This Nebbiolo group (formed through the Vinous forum) had not met in almost two years due to the covid pandemic. We were finally able to get together in summer 2021, then not again until this dinner at Marta.

The food and service were excellent. Every dish was delicious. If I lived in the city, I might eat here once a week.

Click on any photo with a border for a larger view of that photo. Some larger photos contain more image as well as much higher resolution and are typically 3-4 MB.

Ben outside Marta Restaurant which is inside The Redbury Hotel:

The place setting and the menu:

Starter

NV Egly-Ouriet Champagne Grand Cru Blanc de Noirs Les Crayères - France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru
[Pop and pour. Disgorged in July 2014.] Appealing yeasty nose. Fresh in the mouth with a complex finish. This is very good. (93 points)

Course 1: Appetizers
With the Champagne and Flight 1, we shared these wonderful appetizers.

Grilled Octopus: Calabrian Chili Crisp, Fried Chickpeas, Celery, Citrus:

House Cured Pancetta: Seasonal Accouterments:

Marta Mista Salad: Chicories, Artichokes, Sweet Peppers, Grana Padano, Red Wine Vinaigrette:

My plate with all 3 appetizers:

Flight 1: Barbaresco

2001 Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Asili - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
[Double-decanted around noon.] Lovely nose of smoky red fruit. Delicious, long, complex black fruits, tar, and flowers. A beautiful exemplar of Asili. Such purity of black fruit and that Giacosa fruitcake. Off to a great start. (95 points)
2001 Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Riserva Rabajà - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
[Double-decanted at 12:30pm for 1.5 hours.] Big bouquet of tar, cinnamon, and red fruit. Huge in the mouth. Complex, long, expansive and delicious. A great wine. (98 points)
2001 Gaja Langhe Nebbiolo Sorì San Lorenzo - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Langhe DOC
[Double-decanted around noon for 3 hours.] Much darker in color than the two Giacosas. Tar and some chocolate on the nose. Lots of silky black fruit. Rich and complex. Quite modern in style, but still distinctively nebbiolo. A beautiful wine. (96 points)

The Gaja on the right was much darker in color than the two Giacosas:

Flight 2: The V Flight

2001 Vietti Barolo Brunate - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Corked. :( (NR)
2001 Vietti Barolo Rocche - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Double-decanted around 2pm for 4 hours.] Lovely nose of flowers, red fruit, and spice. Still has notable tannins, but loads of balancing rich black fruit. Super long. A great wine. I am blessed to have had this wine twice in one week. (97 points)
2001 Roberto Voerzio Barolo Cerequio - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Double-decanted around 2pm for 4 hours.] Strong, unpleasant nose of red fruit and acetone. Similarly unpleasant in the mouth. Severe VA. (NR/flawed)

Course 2: Pizza
With Flights 2 and 3, we shared these superb wood-fired pizzas.

The Butcher: Soppressata, Pork Sausage, Guanciale, Mozzarella, Grana Padano:

The Funghi: Hen Of The Woods, Mozzarella, Fontina, Red Onion, Thyme:

One member of our group cannot eat cheese, so we also got:
The No-Cheese Funghi: Hen Of The Woods, Red Onion, Thyme:

Flight 3: Castiglione Falletto

2001 Cavallotto Barolo Riserva Bricco Boschis Vigna San Giuseppe - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Double-decanted around 9am.] Beautiful nose of roses and red fruit. Rich and silky in the mouth. A beautiful wine. (94 points)
2001 Giuseppe E Figlio Mascarello Barolo Monprivato - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Double-decanted at noon. Then allowed to slow-o till about 2:30pm.] Cherries, licorice, and balsam in the nose. Still quite tannic on the long, complex finish. The most backward wine so far tonight, but a bright future. (96–98 points)

Course 3: Entrees & Sides
With Flight 4, we shared two main courses and two sides.

Goffle Farm Chicken: Grilled Articokes, Green Garlic Vinaigrette:

This was the best chicken I can recall that wasn't fried.

Dry Aged Florentine Steak: Rosemary, Sea Salt, Olio Verde:

This was superb, yet I was still drawn back to the exquisite chicken.

Crispy Potatoes: Pecorino Fonduta:

These were amazing. Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside with delicious potato flavor.
The cheese sauce was subtle and only increased the overall flavor impact.

Grilled Mushrooms: Pickled Onions:

Wonderful flavor and texture.

Flight 4: Serralunga d'Alba

2001 Massolino Barolo Riserva Vigna Rionda - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Double-decanted around noon.] Heavenly nose of flowers and plums. Something off in the mouth. Thin and tart in a way this wine should not be. Mild cork? Heat damaged? Maybe there was something off in my glass. It seems others thought it was sound and quite good. (NR)
2001 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Cascina Francia - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Double-decanted for 1 hour at 8am.] Nose of spice and black fruit. Silky and rich in the mouth. Huge red and black fruits. Classic G. Conterno. (97 points)
2001 Bruno Giacosa Barolo Riserva Le Rocche del Falletto di Serralunga d'Alba - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Double-decanted around 9am, then put back in a decanter for 2 hours in the late afternoon.] Muted nose of red and black fruit and tar opens slowly in the glass. In the mouth, it is mindblowing. Rich, complex, expansive. Wave after wave of rich complex flavors. One of the greatest wines ever. (100 points)

Conclusion

We did have a few off bottles, but so many great ones. I'm still very high on 2001 in the Langhe. Marta was excellent. I would love to go back frequently.

It is so great to get together with these guys and drink wines like these.

The Open Kitchen

People Pix

A good night:

My tasting notes posted from CellarTracker.