1978 Piemonte Retrospective at Eleven Madison
Park 
WINES:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Flight
#1&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <table>
 <tbody><tr>
 <td>
 1978
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 Ceretto-Bricco
 Rocche Barbaresco Bricco Asili 
 </td>
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 96
 </td>
 </tr>
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 <td>
 1978
 </td>
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 Gaja Barbaresco
 </td>
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 91
 </td>
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 <td>
 1978
 </td>
 <td>
 Cordero di
 Montezemolo Barolo Monfalletto
 </td>
 <td>
 92
 </td>
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 <td>
 Flight #2
 </td>
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 &nbsp;
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 <td>
 &nbsp;
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1978
 </td>
 <td>
 Aldo Conterno Barolo
 Bussia Soprano
 </td>
 <td>
 92
 </td>
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 <td>
 1978
 </td>
 <td>
 Terre del Barolo
 Riserva
 </td>
 <td>
 ?
 </td>
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 <td>
 1978
 </td>
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 Oddero Barolo
 </td>
 <td>
 93
 </td>
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 Flight #3
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 &nbsp;
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 &nbsp;
 </td>
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 <td>
 1978
 </td>
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 Cappellano Barolo
 </td>
 <td>
 
 </td>
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 <td>
 1978
 </td>
 <td>
 Giuseppe Mascarello
 Barolo Villero
 </td>
 <td>
 94
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1978
 </td>
 <td>
 Pio Cesare Barolo
 </td>
 <td>
 93
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1978
 </td>
 <td>
 Poderi Rocche dei
 Manzoni Valentino Barolo Riserva
 </td>
 <td>
 95
 </td>
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 Flight #4
 </td>
 <td>
 &nbsp;
 </td>
 <td>
 &nbsp;
 </td>
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 <td>
 1978
 </td>
 <td>
 Bruno Giacosa Barolo
 Arione
 </td>
 <td>
 92
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1978
 </td>
 <td>
 Bruno Giacosa Barolo
 Pugnane
 </td>
 <td>
 93
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1978
 </td>
 <td>
 Bruno Giacosa Barolo
 Villero
 </td>
 <td>
 96
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 Flight #5 
 </td>
 <td>
 &nbsp;
 </td>
 <td>
 &nbsp;
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1978
 </td>
 <td>
 Bartolo Mascarello
 Barolo (magnum)
 </td>
 <td>
 97
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1978
 </td>
 <td>
 Bruno Giacosa
 Barbaresco Riserva Santo Stefano
 </td>
 <td>
 99
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1978
 </td>
 <td>
 Giacomo Conterno
 Barolo Riserva Monfortino
 </td>
 <td>
 100</td></tr></tbody></table>This
dinner, organized and hosted by the Wine Workshop, showcased a number of gems
from Piemonte’s celebrated 1978 vintage paired with the cuisine of Eleven
Madison Park and Executive Chef Daniel Humm. For more insight on the
inspiration behind this utterly sublime menu, readers should take a look at my
video interview with Humm <a target="_blank" href="http://vinousmedia.com/multimedia/daniel-humm-1978-piemonte-retrospective-nov-2012">here</a>. I will confess I spent
most of my attention focusing on the wines, but the food was out of this world. Winelovers
know 1978 is one of the all-time great Piemonte vintages. I will go so far as
to say it is&nbsp;the&nbsp;greatest vintage, as so many wines – and
certainly all of the greats – are still going strong. Cold weather during the
flowering lowered yields dramatically in an era in which green harvesting
didn’t exist. Perfect weather during the fall brought the small crop to
ripeness during a late harvest that will always be remembered for having
produced some of the most monumental wines on the planet. As with any tasting
or dinner of older wines, provenance and bottle variation is always a concern.
For the most part, these wines showed about as well as anyone could have
realistically hoped. Most importantly, all of the big guns delivered the goods
and showed why they remain so highly sought after. At the same time, it was a
great deal of fun to rediscover a number of forgotten bottles that over
delivered.<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1378413337261-1978BaroloatEMP2+-+Copy.jpg"> Flight #1Among
the early highlights of the evening,&nbsp;Ceretto’s 1978 Barbaresco Bricco
Asili, showed all of the qualities of the year as expressed through the Asili
vineyard, one of the finest in all of Piemonte. At the time, Ceretto was still
a traditional producer, and 1978 remains one of the estate’s all-time great
vintages. The 1978 was made from a parcel planted in 1971, and just one 25
hectoliter cask was produced.&nbsp;Cordero di Montezemolo’s 1978 Barolo
Monfalletto&nbsp;was also quite pretty, as it has been for some time. The
delicate, floral side of La Morra came through nicely. Interestingly, by 1978
Paolo Cordero di Montezemolo was already experimenting with shorter
fermentations of around 10-12 days, which was quite a bit less than the 30 days
or more that was the custom back then.&nbsp;Gaja’s 1978 Barbaresco&nbsp;has
always been a bit of a brute. On this night it was less impressive than on
other occasions, but I attribute that to simple bottle variation. The 1978 was
aged 80% in cask for 30 months, while the remaining 20% was aged 8 months in
French oak and spent the remaining 22 months in cask.Flight #2Oddero’s&nbsp;1978
Barolo&nbsp;was the unquestioned surprise in our second flight. Oddero is
one of Piemonte’s most historic estates. In the late 1970s, Oddero was also one
of the top estates in the region. Sadly, though, the recent track record has
been more spotty. In the late 1970s, Oddero made just one Barolo in the classic
tradition, which is to say a blend from various sites. Most of the fruit was
from La Morra (Bricco Chiesa and Brunate), Villero and Rocche di Castiglione.
Of all the wines in this tasting, Oddero’s 1978 Barolo is the one wine I wish I
had tasted more often. It was truly eye opening. A wine of exceptional balance
and class, the 1978 was a pure pleasure to taste.&nbsp;Aldo Conterno’s 1978
Barolo Bussia Soprana&nbsp;was also terrific. For a wine considered
‘entry-level’ it was fabulous. I have always believed top-level producers tend
to do well even with their less prestigious wines, and this was a great
example. The 1978 Bussia Soprana can still be cellared, but I don’t see too
much upside from here. The&nbsp;1978 Barolo Riserva&nbsp;from&nbsp;Terre
del Barolo&nbsp;was awkward and ungainly in this elite company.Flight #3Teobaldo Cappellano’s 1978 Barolo&nbsp;was one of my favorite under the radar
wines until he became well-known in this country a few years ago. A dark,
mysterious wine, the 1978 was all iron, smoke, tar and black fruit. In other words,
a classic expression of Serralunga and the Parafada vineyard. I was thrilled to
see the 1978 Cappellano in the line-up, since it was a last minute addition
from one of the attendees. Needless to say, this incredible gesture of
generosity was deeply appreciated by all, and was a great example of the
camaraderie the world’s best wines inspire. Thank you! The&nbsp;1978 Barolo
Villero&nbsp;from&nbsp;Giuseppe Mascarellowas also terrific. In the
late 1970s Mascarello bought fruit from Villero. Today he owns a parcel, but in
a different spot within this large Barolo cru. In my view, the fruit Mascarello
was buying in the 1970s gave more structured, powerful wines, and the 1978 is a
perfect example of that.&nbsp;Pio Cesare’s 1978 Barolo&nbsp;was another
surprise for a number of reasons. Unbeknownst to me, proprietor Pio Boffa
decided to attend the dinner. Boffa added invaluable first hand commentary on
the region and a number of the wines. His 1978 Barolo showed beautifully, as I
thought it would, based on my previous tastings. Pio Cesare’s Barolo is another
wine made from multiple vineyards, an approach that today is sadly pretty much
non-existent. Barolo fans have long known about&nbsp;Rocche dei Manzoni’s
1978 Barolo Valentino Riserva, one of the favorite, cultish wines of the
year. Widely acknowledged as the first Barolo aged in French oak – about 50% in
this vintage – the 1978 has always been viewed as a wine that opened the door
for the modern style that would increasingly gain traction in the 1980s and
1990s. Made from the estate’s Vigna d’la Roul vineyard, the 1978 Riserva
remains youthful, vibrant and full of life.Flight #4These
three&nbsp;1978s&nbsp;from Bruno&nbsp;Giacosa&nbsp;were all
lovely. None are considered among his very best work by thecognoscenti,
so they remain somewhat under the radar, but they are jewels just the same. The&nbsp;1978
Barolo Villero&nbsp;(white label) was finest of the three wines in this
flight. Although not up to the level of the 1978 red label Villero, the white
label was a fine poor-man’s substitute, with plenty of vineyard and vintage
character, and that inimitable Giacosa perfume. I was most intrigued by the&nbsp;1978
Barolo Arione, a wine I had only tasted once before. Arione lies next to
Cascina Francia, but has a cooler microclimate. Intense iron and crushed rock
notes dominated over fruit in this mid-weight Barolo. The&nbsp;1978 Barolo
Pugnane&nbsp;was pretty, if a touch frail. Like the Arione, any remaining
bottles should be drunk up, unless they are sitting in a cold cellar and have
never been moved since release.Flight #5&nbsp;All
night anticipation had been building for the final flight. The wines delivered
the goods. And then some.Bartolo Mascarello’s 1978 Barolo&nbsp;(from 1.5
liter magnum) is a highly inconsistent wine because many of the surviving
bottles and 1.5 liter magnums that are still in the market were not bottled at
the estate, but were bottled from larger 1.9 liter magnums by the original
purchasers of the wine, a practice that was not unusual at the time.
Thankfully, this magnum was firing on all cylinders. With age, Bartolo
Mascarello’s wines become quite delicate and Burgundian, but the 1978 still has
plenty of power and structure. The vineyard sites were the same as today,
Rocche dell’Annunziata, Cannubi, Rue and Cannubi/San Lorenzo, all vinified
together in cement and bottled after four years.&nbsp;Giacosa’s 1978
Barbaresco Riserva Santo Stefano&nbsp;is rightly considered one of the
iconic wines of the year. On this night it was monumental. A veritable
kaleidoscope of aromas and flavors delighted everyone in the room as this
structured, intense Barbaresco showed off its pedigree.&nbsp;Giacomo Conterno’s
1978 Barolo Monfortino&nbsp;followed and it was just as great. Still
virile, powerful and imposing, the 1978 Monfortino captivated all the senses
with its unique and inimitable personality. Giovanni Conterno produced an
instant masterpiece with his 1978 Monfortino, the first Monfortino made from
the family’s Cascina Francia vineyard, purchased and planted just four years
prior. I can’t think of a better set of wines to conclude this fabulous
evening!<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1378413401579-1978BaroloatEMPCover+-+vinous+-+Copy.jpg"> FOOD:&nbsp;Egg; Poached with Morels and Mushroom Espuma Cobia; Poached with Olive Oil, Pine Nuts, and Black GarlicPork; Braised Cheeks with Peas, Acorn, and GuancialeLamb; Rack with Wood Sorrel and Marble PotatoesFromage; Canestrato, San Tumas, and Podda Classico--Antonio Galloni

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