Babbo

110 Waverly Place

New York, NY 10011

tel (212) 777-0303

tel (212) 777-3365

October 2007

I know its going to be a serious night of eating and drinking when my long-time tasting group convenes for one of our dinners. Proprietor Joe Bastianich and his team put together a wonderful menu to match our wines. The food was flavorful but never risked overwhelming this mostly delicate, transparent group of Barolos and Barbarescos. Highlights included the garganelli with mushrooms, the ravioli filled with beef cheeks and a melt-in-your-mouth Brasato al Barolo, which was sublime. The antipasti we enjoyed in the restaurant’s impressive cellar was pretty tasty as well. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the service which was extraordinary by any measure. Working in cramped quarters General Manager Colum Sheehan and Beverage Director Peter Jamros never missed a beat in serving the many courses of food and countless wines that seemed to come at a fast and furious pace. Every glass was meticulously labeled, a detail which became more critical as the evening wore on. All in all, it was a phenomenal dinner.

Unfortunately we did have a large number of disappointing bottles. The lesson here is that these wines must be bought and cellared since release to show their best, although I realize that is easier said than done in many cases. Our disappointments were more than compensated for by the surprisingly strong showing of a number of wines that exceeded even our expectations.

Our first flight of Cappellano Barolos was a bit of a mixed bag, but that is the luck of the draw particularly when dealing with wines of this age. The tea-colored 1952 Barolo had reached the end of its life. The only real point of conversation was whether the wine more closely resembled sherry or madeira. Cappellano’s 1955 Barolo was decidedly fresher in its expression of earthiness, tar, mint, plums and prunes. Readers who own this wine will want to drink it soon. Things got even better with the 1957 Barolo, a multi-faceted wine that offered layers of tar, spices, plums and leather, with outstanding poise and balance. The estate’s 1958 Barolo showed why this vintage is so highly regarded among Barolo connoisseurs. A powerful wine, it was still remarkably fresh and packed with sweet dark fruit, black olives and spices. It was the highlight of this flight. Sadly, the 1971 Barolo was strangely maderized and volatile.

A group of wines from Cantina (Bartolo) Mascarello also had its ups and downs. The 1954 Barolo, in this vintage labeled Riserva Cannubi, was simply beautiful. It showed lovely purity and depth, with compelling inner sweetness in its attractive dried prunes and spices. This was the best bottle of this wine I have ever had. Mascarello’s 1982 Barolo was phenomenal. Still deeply-colored, this powerful wine offered terrific depth and compelling notes of crushed flowers, spices and dark red fruits. The 1989 Barolo was even better. Another massive wine, it revealed greater fruit, structure and concentration than the 1982. Gorgeous notes of roses and spices made an appearance before this profound Barolo shut down in the glass. Readers fortunate enough to own the 1989 should feel no rush to drink this wine. Unfortunately the 1971 and 1974 Barolos were both the victims of poor storage. The 1979 Barolo was slightly corked, which was a pity as its beauty could still be appreciated.

This last flight of wines from Bruno Giacosa was phenomenal, most notably for the showing of several, long-forgotten, “smaller” Barbarescos. The 1978 Barbaresco Gallina is a wine I had never tasted, and it was a very pleasant surprise. It revealed the essence of violets, black cherries, mint and eucalyptus with notable sweetness and length. Like most 1978s, it appears capable of further aging, if not necessarily additional development in this case. Giacosa’s 1985 Barbaresco Rio Sordo was sweet and perfumed, with the accessible, generous personality that is typical of the vintage. The 1985 Barbaresco Riserva Santo Stefano took things up a few notches. Gorgeously ripe, sweet and explosive, this full bodied wine revealed superb length and breathtaking balance. Incredibly, the 1989 Barbaresco Riserva Santo Stefano was even better. Still remarkably fresh and deeply structured, it offered a compellingly seductive array of roses, violets, spices and ripe dark fruit. Two bottles of the 1990 Barbaresco Riserva Santo Stefano were less than satisfying and did not do justice to what this usually remarkable wine can offer.

Giacosa’s 1982 Barolo Riserva Collina Rionda won the award for most inspired notes hands-down. “Monica Bellucci in a glass” and “this one goes to eleven!” were some of the comments heard around the table. This was a terrific bottle of a moving and monumental wine that captivated tasters with its exquisite suggestions of roses, spices, tar and sweet ripe fruit all supported by a long, structured frame. The 1989 Barolo Riserva Collina Rionda was utterly profound, as it so often is. A deeply structured, fresh Barolo, it soared from the glass with a kaleidoscope of roses, violets, licorice, spices and sweet, perfumed fruit. Angelo Gaja’s 1971 Barbaresco Sorì Tildìn was sweet, soft, and utterly seductive, with superb length and a caressing finish. Unfortunately his 1978 Barbaresco was flawed. Bruno Giacosa’s 1971 Barbaresco Albesani, another rare bottling, was a huge surprise. Beautifully poised and elegant, it offered compelling perfumed fruit and terrific balance. It was one of the night’s most pleasant discoveries.

After all those mature wines Romano Dal Forno’s 1997 Valpolicella came as a bit of a shock, but after a few glasses our palates re-calibrated to enjoy this sumptuous, richly concentrated wine. Tasted from magnum, it was a remarkable wine in every way. Lis Neris’s 2004 Tal Luc (95% Verduzzo and 5% Riesling) was gorgeous. This understated Friulian dessert wine revealed compelling notes of apricots, licorice, flowers and minerals. We finished with a bottle of Marion’s 2001 Passito Bianco (40% Garganega and 60% Trebbiano), from one of my favorite Amarone producers. Made in a richer style than the Tal Luc it revealed honeyed quality to its fruit with outstanding depth and plenty of style. This bottle was even better than the bottle I reviewed previously. With that, we ventured out into the cool New York night with another wonderful evening of conversation and camaraderie to remember.

Food: 

Assorted antipasti

Raw porcini and arugula salad.

Warm lamb's tongue with chanterelles, black truffles and poached egg

Garganelli with porcini and oyster mushrooms

Ravioli filled with beef cheeks

Brasato al Barolo

Selection of cheeses

Wine: 

1952	Cappellano Barolo	?
1955	Cappellano Barolo	91
1957	Cappellano Barolo	92
1958	Cappellano Barolo	93
1971	Cappellano Barolo	?
1954	Cantina (Bartolo) Mascarello Barolo Riserva Cannubi	92
1971	Cantina (Bartolo) Mascarello Barolo	?
1974	Cantina (Bartolo) Mascarello Barolo	?
1979	Cantina (Bartolo) Mascarello Barolo	?
1982	Cantina (Bartolo) Mascarello Barolo	94
1989	Cantina (Bartolo) Mascarello Barolo	96
1978	Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Gallina	92
1985	Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Rio Sordo	90
1985	Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Riserva Santo Stefano	96
1989	Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Riserva Santo Stefano	97
1990	Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Riserva Santo Stefano	91?
1982	Bruno Giacosa Barolo Riserva Collina Rionda	97
1989	Bruno Giacosa Barolo Riserva Collina Rionda	100
1978	Gaja Barbaresco	?
1971	Gaja Barbaresco Sorì Tildìn	92
1971	Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Albesani	92
1997	Romano Dal Forno Valpolicella (magnum)	94
2004	Lis Neris Tal Luc	94
2001	Marion Passito Bianco	91

[Photo and credit: Babbo, New York]

--Antonio Galloni