Third Annual White Truffle Charity Dinner

<a target="_blank" href="http://www.delposto.com/">Del Posto Ristorante</a>

85
10th Avenue

New
York, NY 10011

Tel.
+1 (212) 497-8090

I am deeply grateful to a small
group of food and wine lovers who came together in December 2009 to support my
annual White Truffle Charity Dinner, held to benefit the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.oif.org/site/PageServer">Osteogenesis Imperfecta Foundation</a>.
Osteogenesis Imperfecta, a debilitating brittle-bone disease, has difficulty
attracting funding for research because it is such a rare disease relative to
heart illness, diabetes, breast cancer all of which are much more common. I
would also like to thank proprietors Joe Bastianich, Lidia Bastianch and Mario
Batali for their generous contributions. Executive Chef Mark Ladner prepared a
brilliant menu to match our wines. Each course was generously topped off with
fragrant white truffles, a touch that elevated all of these dishes into the
stratosphere. Proprietor Joe Bastianich and Wine Director Henry Davar made sure
all of the details were executed to perfection. I say this every year at the
conclusion of the event….but it will be hard to top this night next year!

A magnum of Krug’s 1976 Vintage kicks things off grand style. It remains an
awesome, powerful wine packed with rich, textured fruit and an enveloping
totally extroverted personality. Sadly, a magnum of Pol Roger’s 1975 Sir Winston Churchill, here in its first vintage,
is slightly corked and impossible to evaluate.

I have had great luck with Bruno
Giacosa’s wines from some of the lesser-known vintages of the 1960s, 1970s and
1980s, so I thought it would be fun to warm up with some long-forgotten wines
before we moved into the Red Label Riservas. Not much is known today about
vintages 1968 and 1969. Sheldon and Pauline Wasserman, among the foremost
English-language Italian wine experts of their era, rated both vintages 0 out
of 5 stars, as did Renato Ratti, the renowned producer and scholar the
Wassermans cited frequently in their books. But as the old saying goes, there
are no great vintages, just great bottles, and that is certainly the case here.

Giacosa’s 1968 Barbaresco Santo Stefano is delicate, pretty and wonderfully
intact. To be sure, this is a relatively small-scaled Santo Stefano, yet the
wine reveals gorgeous balance and a soft, perfumed finish. It is the perfect
wine with which to start the evening. The 1969
Barbaresco is soft, round and perhaps even a touch simple, but it, too, is
quite pretty and alive. The real surprise here is the 1969 Barbaresco Santo Stefano, which comes across as rich and
powerful, showing awesome richness and depth. Although no upside remains with
any of these 1960s Giacosa Barbarescos, if perfectly stored, they should keep
another few years. Still, I am not tempted to push my luck with my own
remaining bottles at this stage. Ceretto’s
1971 Barolo Vigneto Pitattore in Cannubi, an exceedingly rare wine, is a
bit of a historical curiosity, but inserted blind into this flight last-minute
it shows very nicely. The bouquet in particular is quite expressive and very
much in the style of other important wines from this site, one of Barolo’s most
famous. Though fully mature, the wine is quite beautiful and harmonious.

<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1378351658421-1960sGiacosas+Vinous.jpg"> Above:
A trio of pristine 1960s Bruno Giacosa Barbarescos

I have had the privilege – and I do
mean privilege – of drinking Bruno Giacosa’s Red Labels from the 1960s and
early 1970s a number of times recently and have never been anything less than
deeply impressed. The wines are firing on all cylinders on this night. The 1964 Barbaresco Santo Stefano Riserva
is sublime. Still showing touches of firmness, the wine flows with layers of
sweet, spiced fruit, revealing incredible clarity, precision and the broad
shoulders typical of the Barbarescos of Neive. There is a timeless elegance to
this wine that I find incredibly appealing. The 1967 Barbaresco Asili Riserva is perhaps just a touch less
interesting than the 1964 Santo Stefano. The fruit is wonderfully long, pure
and silky but the wine is a bit more resolved. I have had the 1971 Barolo Riserva Le Rocche di
Castiglione on two other occasions over the last few weeks, but this bottle
is on another level. Entirely. Everyone at the table stops talking for a
moment. Still deeply colored, the wine emerges from the glass with tons of dark
fruit intermingled with sweet, mentholated, balsamic notes in a virile,
powerful expression of this vineyard. The wine is utterly profound. That’s all
there is to it.

We arrive at one of the most eagerly
anticipated flights of the night. As requested by one of the attendees, this
flight consists of four Giacosa wines from the fabled 1978 harvest, one of
Giacosa’s very finest. Eddie asks why the Barbaresco
Gallina has been dropped from the line-up. It hasn’t, but for some reason I
forgot to open the bottle along with the other wines. Not a problem, the bottle
is quickly opened and it is magnificent from the start. This wonderfully
spiced, fragrant, mid-weight Barbaresco impresses for its purity and finesse.
What a fabulous bottle. The 1978
Barbaresco Riserva Santo Stefano lives up to its reputation as one of the
most profound wines ever made. The fruit shows a remarkable intensity, depth
and purity. This is a sensual, compelling Barbaresco that conquers everyone at
the table. The 1978 Barolo Riserva
Villero is impeccable in its round, sweet fruit, with the sweet, balsamic
notes that are the hallmark of this site. Giacosa’s
1978 Barolo Riserva Collina Rionda is sweet, ethereal and intensely
perfumed in its roses, tar and licorice. This is an especially sensual,
feminine bottle of the 1978 Rionda that contrasts dramatically with a much
richer example I tasted a few weeks prior. Still it is exquisite and makes for
a fine finish to this profound flight of Barolos and Barbarescos.

<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1378351713110-Giacosa1978s+Vinous.jpg"> Above:
An epic flight of Bruno Giacosa’s 1978 Barbarescos and Barolos

These four early Barolos from
Giacomo Conterno are all beautiful, though in retrospect I should have placed
them earlier in the evening next to Giacosa’s wines of the same era as it took
some time for palates to recalibrate to this style after the massive 1978s. The
1961 Barolo is surprisingly fresh
and far better than a bottle opened a few minutes prior. The aromatics are
fresh and vibrant, and the wine reveals terrific balance in a mid-weight,
ethereal style. The 1964 Barolo
shows more fruit, depth and richness, with sweet mentholated notes that add
complexity to the spiced fruit. Both the 1961 and 1964 are fully mature, and
even under the best of circumstance the wines need to be drunk over the next
few years at most. The estate’s 1967
Barolo takes things to another level in terms of its intensity and sheer
depth. Though a touch rustic, it is a beautiful bottle from Giacomo Conterno.
The 1971 Barolo is powerful, tannic
and totally enveloping in its focused, vibrant fruit, foreshadowing what will
come in the next flight of reds. The 1971 remains a benchmark Barolo from
Conterno, and it is superb on this night.

The 1975 Dom Pérignon
Oenothèque (third plenitude) is one of my absolute favorite Champagnes, and
it enjoys a stellar showing, although to tell the truth, I had originally
envisioned drinking it before starting on the Conterno wines. No matter, the
1975 Oenothèque is brilliant. This bottle seems a touch more filled out and
darker than was the case 1-2 years ago, when the wine was decidedly fresher and
more energetic. Still, it is fabulous!

Our last flight is sensational, as
we taste through four of the most legendary vintages of Giacomo Conterno’s Monfortino.
The 1971, 1978 and 1982 are all tightly wound and youthful, while the 1985 is
the only wine that comes across as ready to drink! The 1971 Barolo Riserva Speciale Monfortino is powerful and sinewy as
it flows across the palate with layers of intensely perfumed red fruit. This is
a magical bottle. Conterno’s 1978 Barolo
Riserva Monfortino is a decidedly darker and more brooding Barolo than the
1971. Here the fruit is explosive and multi-dimensional as the wine blossoms
with extraordinary elegance and grace. The finish is round, powerful and
all-enveloping. The two wines are fascinating to taste side by side, as the
1971 was made from purchased fruit while the 1978 is the first vintage Conterno
made from their then-recently planted vines in the Cascina Francia vineyard,
yet stylistically they are remarkably similar. Barolo freaks will note that
both the 1971 and 1978 are labeled as Riserva Speciale, a designation that was
eliminated when Barolo gained DOCG status in 1980.<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1378351922098-Monfortino+-+Copy.jpg"> Above:
A flight of Conterno Monfortinos from the great vintages of the 1970s and 1980s<img alt="">

The 1982 Barolo Riserva Monfortino is one of my very favorite Barolos,
and tonight it is fantastic. This is an especially elegant, refined Monfortino
that impresses more for its inner sweetness and perfume rather than the
extroverted fruit that defines vintages such as 1968, 1978, 1985, 1990 and
1997. The wine’s length and overall balance are nothing short of spellbinding. Conterno’s 1985 Barolo Riserva Monfortino
is the most open and accessible wine in this flight. Some tasters pick up on
the overt ripeness and slightly pruney character, which are the result of the
warm year. Those qualities are made even more evident here, as the 1985 is
tasted in the company of three decidedly more classic Monfortinos. Still, the
wine is exceptionally beautiful, elegant and rewarding. This is a great flight
with which to finish a wonderful evening of food and wine to benefit a worthy
cause.<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1378352073512-shavedwhitetruffles+vious2.jpg"> Above:
Shaved white truffles are fabulous, even on ice cream!

Food:

Assaggi, Spuntini &amp; Snacks 

Carne Cruda 

Risotto of Vacca Rossa

Tortellini in Brodo

Veal Bracciole with Porcini &amp;
Barolo

Robiola Due Latte with Grilled
Bread &amp; Mosto Cotto

Sicilian Tangerine Sorbetto with
Sicilian Olive Oil

White Truffle Tartufo with Apricot
&amp; Almond

Cookies, Candies and Frutta

Wine: 

<table>
 <tbody><tr>
 <td>
 1976
 </td>
 <td>
 Krug Vintage (magnum)
 </td>
 <td>
 95
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1975
 </td>
 <td>
 Pol Roger Sir Winston Churchill
 </td>
 <td>
 ?
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1968
 </td>
 <td>
 Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Santo
 Stefano
 </td>
 <td>
 90
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1969
 </td>
 <td>
 Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco
 </td>
 <td>
 89
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1969
 </td>
 <td>
 Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Santo
 Stefano
 </td>
 <td>
 93
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1971
 </td>
 <td>
 Ceretto Barolo Vigneto Pittatore
 in Cannubi
 </td>
 <td>
 90
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1964
 </td>
 <td>
 Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Riserva
 Santo Stefano
 </td>
 <td>
 95
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1967
 </td>
 <td>
 Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Riserva
 Asili
 </td>
 <td>
 94
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1971
 </td>
 <td>
 Bruno Giacosa Barolo Riserva Le
 Rocche di Castiglione
 </td>
 <td>
 98
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1978
 </td>
 <td>
 Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Gallina
 </td>
 <td>
 94
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1978
 </td>
 <td>
 Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Santo
 Stefano Riserva
 </td>
 <td>
 97
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1978
 </td>
 <td>
 Bruno Giacosa Barolo Riserva
 Villero 
 </td>
 <td>
 97
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1978
 </td>
 <td>
 Bruno Giacosa Barolo Riserva
 Collina Rionda
 </td>
 <td>
 98
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1961
 </td>
 <td>
 Giacomo Conterno Barolo
 </td>
 <td>
 92
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1964
 </td>
 <td>
 Giacomo Conterno Barolo
 </td>
 <td>
 92
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1967
 </td>
 <td>
 Giacomo Conterno Barolo
 </td>
 <td>
 94
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1971
 </td>
 <td>
 Giacomo Conterno Barolo
 </td>
 <td>
 94
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1975
 </td>
 <td>
 Moët &amp; Chandon Dom Pérignon
 Oenothèque (third plenitude, dis. 2005)
 </td>
 <td>
 97
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1971
 </td>
 <td>
 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Riserva
 Speciale Monfortino
 </td>
 <td>
 97
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1978
 </td>
 <td>
 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Riserva
 Speciale Monfortino
 </td>
 <td>
 100
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1982
 </td>
 <td>
 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Riserva
 Monfortino
 </td>
 <td>
 99
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1985
 </td>
 <td>
 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Riserva
 Monfortino
 </td>
 <td>
 96
 </td>
 </tr>
</tbody></table>

&nbsp;-- Antonio Galloni

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