Bruno Giacosa Dinner
at Bar Boulud

<a target="_blank" href="http://www.barboulud.com/nyc/">Bar Boulud</a> 

1900 Broadway
(between 63rd and 64th)

New York, NY

Tel. (212) 595-0303

This tasting/dinner at Bar Boulud featured two of my
favorite things; the wines of Bruno Giacosa and the food at Bar Boulud. It is
tempting to drink Barolo and Barbaresco with regional cuisine, and while that
often results in great pairings, it is also fun to stretch out a bit and try
new things as well. Our menu from Executive Chef Damian Sansonetti was
brilliant. Each of the dishes was absolutely divine.&nbsp; I have been to Bar Boulud many times, but
this was one of the best dinners I have ever had at Daniel Boulud’s casual
brasserie in New York’s Upper West Side.

The gnocchi, served with duck confit, mousseron mushrooms
heirloom pumpkin and brown butter was beautifully prepared and served. I also
loved the Steak Rȏti; roasted Black Angus striploin accompanied by roasted
potatoes, green spinach and red wine jus. Both dishes were brilliant with the
wines.

And what wines they were. I tasted each and every bottle
with Bar Boulud’s Head Sommelier Michael Madrigale before the dinner, and then
with the food during the dinner. With few exceptions, all of the wines showed
as I had expected. Bruna Giacosa was in attendance, but she was surprisingly
shy about commenting on her wines. In the end, she really didn’t need to, the
wines spoke for themselves.

We started with a flight of Barbareschi from the Santo
Stefano vineyard in Neive. This is the one single-vineyard wine Giacosa makes from purchased fruit.
Santo Stefano faces due south and sits at about 250 meters above sea level. The
wines are usually quite rich within the context of Barbaresco. My favorite was
the 2004 Barbaresco Santo Stefano, a
wine that captured the essence of this great, explosive vintage. I also adored
the 1996 for its cool, inward
personality and bright fruit. The 1996 certainly looks like a modern-day
version of the great wines Giacosa made during the 1970s and 1980s. The 2007 was fat, rich and opulent. It came
across as needing a few years to lose its baby fat, but I loved the generosity.
I will not be surprised if the 2005
Barbaresco Santo Stefano ends up exceeding expectations. It was gorgeous on
this night; fresh, vibrant and full of life. The only disappointment in the
flight was the 1997, which was more
advanced than I had hoped.

Things kicked up several notches with a flight of
Barbareschis from the famed Asili vineyard. Asili is in the village of
Barbaresco, where the wines are generally more feminine than in Neive. The best
wines from this site have great aromatics and fine, silky tannins. The 2004 Barbaresco Asili Riserva was off
the charts. I can still remember where I was when I tasted this wine from
bottle the first time. Every time I taste it I am taken back to that initial
moment of thrilling discovery. The 2004
Riserva was simply beautiful in its perfumed fruit and breathtaking
balance. The 1996 Barbaresco Asili
Riserva was an infant, but its potential impossible to miss. Sweet,
expressive aromatics and beautifully layered fruit lingered on the eternal
finish. The 2001 Barbaresco Asili is
one of the most Riserva-like white labels Giacosa has ever produced. It was
magical on this night, with endless layers of fruit supported by firm yet
elegant tannins. Giacosa’s 2003
Barbaresco Asili enjoyed a surprisingly strong showing. It was impressive,
powerful and youthful. Once again, I was quite taken with the 2005. It remains
a leaner wine, not unlike the 1996 in style with a feminine personality and
plenty of fragrant, perfumed fruit. The balance and sense of harmony were
simply impeccable. The 2007 Barbaresco
Asili was once again explosive. I expect the wine will settle down nicely
with further bottle age, but at this stage lots of baby fat came through.

We finished with a beautiful flight of Barolo from the
Falletto vineyard in Serralunga. Not surprisingly the highlight was the 2004 Barolo Le Rocche del Falletto, one
of the greatest wines Giacosa has ever made. Silky tannins framed a core of
elegant fruit in this sublime, emotionally moving Barolo. The 1999 Barolo Le Rocche del Falletto is
without question a Riserva-quality wine. Layers of fruit emerged from this
structure, powerful Barolo. I have always had a weak spot for the 1999, and it
was fabulous in this flight. The 2005
Barolo Le Rocche del Falletto was another standout. It showed great
freshness and purity from start to finish. I was surprised to see the 2003 show so well. It was terrific. The
1997 has never been one of my
favorites, but this bottle was reasonably fresh and interesting, something I
haven’t always been able to say about the wine.

Food:&nbsp;

Charcuterie Maison 

Gnocchi au Confit de Canard 

Steak Rȏti

Sélection de Fromages du Piedmont

Wine:

<table>
 <tbody><tr>
 <td>
 1996
 </td>
 <td>
 Giacosa Barbaresco Santo Stefano
 </td>
 <td>
 95
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1997
 </td>
 <td>
 Giacosa Barbaresco Santo Stefano
 </td>
 <td>
 92
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 2004
 </td>
 <td>
 Giacosa Barbaresco Santo Stefano
 </td>
 <td>
 96
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 2005
 </td>
 <td>
 Giacosa Barbaresco Santo Stefano
 </td>
 <td>
 95
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 2007
 </td>
 <td>
 Giacosa Barbaresco Santo Stefano
 </td>
 <td>
 95
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1996
 </td>
 <td>
 Giacosa Barbaresco Riserva Asili
 </td>
 <td>
 97
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 2001
 </td>
 <td>
 Giacosa Barbaresco Asili
 </td>
 <td>
 96+
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 2003
 </td>
 <td>
 Giacosa Barbaresco Asili
 </td>
 <td>
 93
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 2004
 </td>
 <td>
 Giacosa Barbaresco Riserva Asili
 </td>
 <td>
 98
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 2005
 </td>
 <td>
 Giacosa Barbaresco Asili
 </td>
 <td>
 95
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 2007
 </td>
 <td>
 Giacosa Barbaresco Asili
 </td>
 <td>
 94
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1997
 </td>
 <td>
 Giacosa Barolo Le Rocche del Falletto
 </td>
 <td>
 93
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1999
 </td>
 <td>
 Giacosa Barolo Le Rocche del Falletto
 </td>
 <td>
 97
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 2003
 </td>
 <td>
 Giacosa Barolo Le Rocche del Falletto
 </td>
 <td>
 94
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 2004
 </td>
 <td>
 Giacosa Barolo Riserva Le Rocche del Falletto
 </td>
 <td>
 99+
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 2005
 </td>
 <td>
 Giacosa Barolo Le Rocche del Falletto
 </td>
 <td>
 96+
 </td>
 </tr>
</tbody></table>

[Photo and credit: Bar Boulud, New York]&nbsp;--Antonio Galloni

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