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85
Tenth Avenue

New
York, NY 10011

Tel.
+1 (212) 497-8090Wine:

<table>
 <tbody><tr>
 <td>
 2002 Dom Ruinart
 </td>
 <td>
 96
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 2011 Giacomo Conterno Barbera
 d'Alba Cerretta
 </td>
 <td>
 94
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1999 Vietti Barbera d’Asti La Crena
 </td>
 <td>
 92
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 2007 Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco
 Riserva Asili 
 </td>
 <td>
 98
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 2001 Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Asili
 </td>
 <td>
 96
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1990 Scavino Barolo Riserva Rocche
 dell’Annunziata (magnum) &nbsp; &nbsp;
 </td>
 <td>
 96
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1986 Bartolo Mascarello Barolo
 (magnum) 
 </td>
 <td>
 96
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 2008 Roberto Voerzio Barolo
 Cerequio 
 </td>
 <td>
 97+
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1997 Gaja Sperss 
 </td>
 <td>
 96
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 2004 Quintarelli Alzero 
 </td>
 <td>
 97
 </td>
 </tr>
</tbody></table>

Food: 

Pumpkin Salad
with Foglie di Noce, Bee Pollen Citronette &amp; Tomato Marmellata

Gigli Verdi al Ragu Bolognese

Vacca Rossa
Risotto with Truffles

Wild Striped
Bass with Caponatina &amp; Arugula

Chef’s Selection
of Italian Cheeses

Cookies

I was thrilled to host this small,
intimate dinner for one of Vinous’s private corporate clients. For the
occasion, I chose a number of reference-point wines with an emphasis on
Piedmont that showed a variety of styles mixing up current and older vintages.
The menu was full of highlights. In particular, the pumpkin salad and Gigli
Verdi were both delicious, but the entire menu was beautifully tailored to our
wines.<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1386359787038-DelPostoApp+-+vinous.jpg"> 

Pumpkin Salad with Foglie di Noce, Bee Pollen Citronette
&amp; Tomato Marmellata

The 2002 Dom Ruinart has always been exuberant and boisterous, but on
this night it is quite reserved and nowhere near as expressive as it has often
been. Three bottles are all in a similar state. Although still gorgeous, the
2002 appears to have closed down a bit over the last few months.

Past and present. That is the theme
with the two Barberas that kick off this dinner. Giacomo Conterno’ s 2011 Barbera d'Alba Cerretta is every
bit as fabulous as it has always been. The sheer purity of the fruit is matched
by the wine’s extraordinary silkiness and textural finesse. Bright pomegranate,
cherry, spice and mineral notes literally jump out of the glass. What a great
wine this is. I remember buying the 1999
Vietti Barbera d’Asti La Crena at the cellar door when it was just released.
Today, a decade later, the wine is still striking. Smoke, tobacco and leather
notes wrap around the dark fruit in a subtle, earthy Barbera to drink now. The
1999 is a reminder of how complex the best examples can be, especially with a
little bottle age.

<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1386359770491-DelPostoGarganelli+-+vinous.jpg"> Gigli Verdi al Ragu Bolognese

The wines from Bruno Giacosa are
simply extraordinary. The 2007
Barbaresco Riserva Asili, which I have had several times recently, is pure
sensuality. Hard candy, rose petals, sweet red berries and licorice wrap around
the palate in one of the silkiest, most refined expressions of Nebbiolo I have
ever tasted. A wine of pure sensuality and grace, the 2007 is flat-out
stunning. Giacosa’s 2001 Barbaresco
Asili graces the palate with dried rose petals, sweet tobacco, incense,
smoke and orange peel. Just entering the early part of its drinking window, the
2001 is utterly mesmerizing in the glass. It is a bit more tannic than the
2007. At this stage, I would let the 2001 develop more complexity in the
cellar. The Giacosa Asili is a wine best tasted young or with a decade plus of
bottle age because the years between those stages can be a bit awkward. Still,
the 2001 is magnificent.

<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1386359714839-DelPostoRisotto+-+vinous.jpg"> Vacca Rossa Risotto with Truffles

Enrico Scavino’s 1990 Barolo Riserva Rocche dell’Annunziata (magnum), here in its
first vintage, is a great example of the modern school of Barolo. Silky tannins
frame a core of expressive red berries, crushed flowers and sweet spices. As
outstanding as this magnum is, it doesn’t quite reach the heights of a magnum I
tasted a few months ago, and both were from the same case. Sometimes, that’s
just the way it goes. Bartolo Mascarello’s 1986
Barolo (magnum) is extraordinary. As Barolo lovers know, the crop was
reduced severely by hail, but the wines that survived remain fabulous. Bartolo
Mascarello’s Barolo is one of the wines of the year. Classic old-school Barolo
aromatics are given a little extra amplitude by the richness of the year in a
super-classic Barolo that dazzles everyone at the table. Interestingly, the
1986 is a hit with both novices and experts, proving that great wine is
universal.

<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1386359678823-DelPostoFish+-+vinous.jpg"> Wild Striped Bass with Caponatina &amp; Arugula

Roberto Voerzio’s 2008 Barolo Cerequio is flat-out
stunning. It is one of the favorites with this group, and it is easy to see
why. A benchmark example of this great La Morra site, the 2008 captivates the
heart and intellect with its generous, inviting fruit and seductive
personality. With a little air the 2008 can be enjoyed today, but it will be
even better in another handful of years. Still, on this night is superb. The 1997 Gaja Sperss is another wine that
is showing beautifully, although this bottle isn’t as profound as others have
been. Layers of dark, mineral-inflected Serralunga fruit flow across the palate
as the 1997 struts its stuff. The 1997 Sperss is showy, as it usually is, but
falls short of being truly thrilling.

<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1386359652593-DelPostoLineup+-+vinous.jpg"> A
fabulous lineup

What better way to end the evening
than with the 2004 Quintarelli Alzero?
I loved this wine when I tasted it at the property over the summer, and it is
equally magnificent tonight. Soaring aromatics lead to layers of blue and black
fruit, graphite, savory herbs and tobacco Rich and voluptuous to the core, the
2004 captivates us from the very first taste. The last hints of Cabernet
Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc inflected flavors linger into the cold fall New
York night.

--Antonio Galloni

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