• 2008 Billecart-Salmon Champagne Cuvée Elisabeth Salmon - France, Champagne
  Lovely pale rose color. Sweet red fruit on the nose. Intense bubbles. Complex juicy peaches and cherries. A joy to drink. (94 points)
• NV Krug Champagne Brut Grande Cuvée - France, Champagne
  [This has V721 printed on the cork. We were told this means this is a 2001 base disgorged in 2007.] Light gold color. Mature, elegant. Yeasty. (92 points)

• 1967 Fratelli Barale Barolo - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
  [Double-decanted around 3pm.] Nasty, spoiled nose. No better in the mouth. (NR)
• 1970 Giuseppe E Figlio Mascarello Barolo Monprivato - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
  [Magnum double-decanted around noon.] Black fruit nose with some oxidation noticeable. Similar in the mouth. Drinkable but not enjoyable. (NR)
• 1989 Bruno Giacosa Barolo - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
  [Double-decanted around 3pm.] Completely oxidized. (NR)
• 1974 Giuseppe E Figlio Mascarello Barolo Monprivato - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
  [Double-decanted around 3pm.] Completely oxidized. (NR)

• 1990 Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Riserva Asili - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
  [Double-decanted 32 hours before the dinner. Kept in a refrigerator for most of those hours.] Lovely nose of sweet red fruits, roses, and spice. Red and black fruit in the mouth with a long finish of roses and some licorice. Full and elegant in the mouth. This is holding up quite well. I'm not sure it will get better. A joy to drink. (97 points)
• 1996 Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Riserva Asili - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
  [Opened at 8:30am, quick double-decant at around 4pm.] This goes up a notch from the 1990 with all the added power and structure typical of 1996. Black fruit, complex spices, great grip and length. A great wine. Should show well for at least another decade, maybe two. (99 points)
• 1999 Bruno Giacosa Barolo Le Rocche del Falletto di Serralunga d'Alba - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
  [Double-decanted before noon.] Heavenly black fruit and spice cake nose. Big, rich, and expansive in the mouth but with that classic Giacosa elegance. (97 points)
• 2000 Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Riserva Asili - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
  [Double-decanted for an hour at about 3pm.] Ripe red fruit in the nose. Sweet fruit in the mouth. Complex, elegant. Lacks the structure of the 1996, but delicious and complex. No need to wait on this. (95 points)
• 2001 Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Riserva Rabajà - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
  [Double-decanted for an hour at about 3pm.] What can I say. This one never disappoints. Dark black fruit and spice in the nose. Big and rich in the mouth. Explosive in the mouth with a finish that lasts forever. Wow! (99 points)
Photo by Manuel Bürgi.

• 2001 Ghiomo Nebbiolo d'Alba Sansteu R 20 - Italy, Piedmont, Alba, Nebbiolo d'Alba
  [Double-decanted around 6:30pm.] Lovely nose of earth and spice. Black fruit and smoke in the mouth. Very impressive for a Nebbiolo d'Alba, but the Giacosas are a hard act to follow. (92 points)
• 2011 Elio Sandri Barolo Riserva Perno - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
  [Double-decanted around 3pm.] Huge nose of ripe black fruit. Still quite backward at this stage. Loads of black fruit and structure. Needs another 5 years at least. (94 points)
• 2019 Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo Bussia - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
  [Double-decanted around 6:30pm.] Lovely fragrance of violets and red fruit. Gorgeous and expansive in the mouth. This fits right in with all the 2019s I tasted this morning. Plenty of structure for the long haul, but such elegance and perfume now. (96–98 points)
• 2015 E. Molino Barolo Riserva del Fico - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
  [Double-decanted around 3pm.] Big ripe nose of red and black fruit. Sweet black fruit in the mouth. Long finish. Should provide great pleasure for at least another decade. (94 points)
Photo by Manuel Bürgi.

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