NV Cappellano Piè Rupestris @ Hearth, NYC, 9/5/2024

Neb Vinous Cappellano Piè Rupestris
@ Hearth, East Village, NYC, 9/5/2024

A group of Neb Heads (most of them from the Nebbiolo group formed through the Vinous forum) met to check out Cappellano Barolo Piè Rupestris from Gabutti in Serralunga d'Alba.

For more background on the wines of Cappellano, check out the FWG's page on Barolos and Barbarescos Made by the Cappellano Winery.

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It was a beautiful day in NYC. 32nd St. & the Empire State Building:

We met at Hearth, 403 East 12th Street (at 1st Avenue) in the East Village at 6pm.
The food and service were superb, as in the past.

The open kitchen on the way to the private back room where we ate:

The menu and fabulous focaccia:

Flight 1: 2001 & 2003
Lettuces & Vegetables: Poppyseed Vinaigrette, Black Rice Crisps.
This was good. (Sorry for the poor photo.)

2001 Cappellano Barolo Piè Rupestris Otin Fiorin (Gabutti) - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Double-decanted about 2pm for 4 hours.] Beautiful nose of black fruit, tar, and spice. Big and rich. Quite tannic, but delicious, riveting, and expansive. Still a young beast of a wine. Should be glorious in 10-20 years. (96–?? points)
2003 Cappellano Barolo Piè Rupestris Otin Fiorin (Gabutti) - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Double-decanted around 9am for 2 hours. This had a lot of sediment.] Nose of smokey red fruit. In the mouth, the wine is thin and bitter. My guess is that this bottle was cooked.] (NR/flawed)

Flight 2: 2004 & 2005
Maccheroni in Pork Ragu with Whipped Ricotta and Fried Rosemary.
This was so delicious and the pasta was cooked to perfection.

2004 Cappellano Barolo Piè Rupestris Otin Fiorin (Gabutti) - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Double-decanted about 2pm for 4 hours.] Muted, slightly dirty nose. Big, rich and tannic like the 2001, but something's off. The finish is long and bitter. An off bottle? (NR)
2005 Cappellano Barolo Piè Rupestris Otin Fiorin (Gabutti) - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Double-decanted around 9am for 2 hours.] Muted nose of blackberries and roses. Rich black fruit and lots of tannin. Good balance. Needs at least another 10 years. (93–96 points)

Flight 3: 2006 & 2007
The wonderful Maccheroni with these too.

2006 Cappellano Barolo Piè Rupestris Otin Fiorin (Gabutti) - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Double-decanted about 3:30pm for 1.5 hours.] Big, smoky black and red fruits. This is really backward. With the pasta dish, it shows its stuff a little better. This needs a lot of time. (94–?? points)
2007 Cappellano Barolo Piè Rupestris Otin Fiorin (Gabutti) - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Double-decanted at noon.] Muted nose. Quite tannic for 2007. I'm not sure it's got enough fruit for the tannin. Which is odd for a 2007. Judgement reserved.

Flight 4: 2008 & 2011
Yellowtail Tuna: Corn Succotash, Tomato, Basil.
This was exquisite. Just incredible flavor and texture.

2008 Cappellano Barolo Piè Rupestris Otin Fiorin (Gabutti) - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Double-decanted about 2:30pm for a half hour.] Big, bright black currant nose. Big, rich, balanced. Another terrific 2008. (95 points)
2011 Cappellano Barolo Piè Rupestris Otin Fiorin (Gabutti) - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Double-decanted at 9am.] Sour cherry nose. Lots of bright cherry fruit. Shockingly open after the previous wines. Tasty and appealing. I would drink this by 2035. (93 points)

Flight 5: 2012 & 2013
Grass-Fed Ribeye: Beef Fat-Fried Potatoes, Garlic Aioli. So tasty!

2012 Cappellano Barolo Piè Rupestris Otin Fiorin (Gabutti) - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Double-decanted about 2pm for 2 hours.] Lovely cherry nose. Somewhat tannic, but lots of juicy red fruit. Not a long ager, but quite drinkable. (92 points)
2013 Cappellano Barolo Piè Rupestris Otin Fiorin (Gabutti) - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Double-decanted about 8am.] Lovely cherry nose. Big, rich, delicious, complex. Great balance. Great future. (95–?? points)

Dessert
Sarsaparilla Semifreddo: Market Cherries, Chocolate Rye Cake:

Summary
Unfotunately we did have a few underperforming bottles. Still, another great evening of food, wine, and friends.

People Pix
The gang is happy:

Jefferson has been our server the last few times.
He always takes great care of us and we're happy to share.

I don't usually take selfies, but I
couldn't resist this sign in the bathroom.

All the wines:

My tasting notes posted from CellarTracker.