La Festa del Barolo 2015

Set in the historic Four Seasons Restaurant, this year’s Festa del Barolo was full of memories that will last a lifetime. The 2010 Barolo: A Modern-Day Classic Masterclass Tasting focused on education, while the Gala Dinner & Charity Auction gave guests the opportunity to sample a wide range of older wines and raised over $200,000 for The Zone, a state-of-the art facility within The Mount Sinai Hospital that helps seriously ill children and their families cope with hospitalization.

The list of people who helped make this year’s Festa del Barolo a huge success is long. I am deeply indebted to Four Seasons Managing Partners Julian Niccolini and Alex von Bidder for allowing us to descend on their landmark restaurant for two days. Forty of this country’s best sommeliers took care of wine service under the direction of Del Posto Wine Director Jeff Porter. Michael Jessen of Wally’s ran our auction, Riedel provided more than 3,000 glasses, while Domaine Wine Storage made sure all of the wines were stored properly and arrived on time, none an easy feat. The fifteen producers who attended were all very generous with their time and wines. Most importantly though, I would like to thank Vinous readers from all over the world who made a special trip to be part of Festa del Barolo 2015.

The historic Four Seasons Pool Room

Part 1: The Pre-Party

Wines:

1975 Pol Roger Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill (magnum)

95

2001 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Montrachet

95

2004 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Montrachet

98

1969 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Grands-Echézeaux

92

1978 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Grands-Echézeaux

94

1971 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Richebourg

93

1990 Emmanuel Rouget Vosne-Romanée Cros Parantoux                  

97

1993 Comtes de Vogüé Musigny

97

Food:

Mini Tuna Burgers

Rib Eye Burgers

Pappardelle, wild boar, Périgord black truffle