<a target="_blank" href="http://www.babbonyc.com/">Babbo</a>

110 Waverly Place

New York, NY 10011

tel (212) 777-0303

tel (212) 777-3365

October 2007

I know its going to be a serious night of eating and
drinking when my long-time tasting group convenes for one of our dinners.
Proprietor Joe Bastianich and his team put together a wonderful menu to match
our wines. The food was flavorful but never risked overwhelming this mostly
delicate, transparent group of Barolos and Barbarescos. Highlights included the
garganelli with mushrooms, the ravioli filled with beef cheeks and a
melt-in-your-mouth Brasato al Barolo, which was sublime. The antipasti we
enjoyed in the restaurant’s impressive cellar was pretty tasty as well. I would
be remiss if I didn’t mention the service which was extraordinary by any
measure. Working in cramped quarters General Manager Colum Sheehan and Beverage
Director Peter Jamros never missed a beat in serving the many courses of food
and countless wines that seemed to come at a fast and furious pace. Every glass
was meticulously labeled, a detail which became more critical as the evening
wore on. All in all, it was a phenomenal dinner.

Unfortunately we did have a large number of disappointing
bottles. The lesson here is that these wines must be bought and cellared since
release to show their best, although I realize that is easier said than done in
many cases. Our disappointments were more than compensated for by the
surprisingly strong showing of a number of wines that exceeded even our
expectations.

Our first flight of Cappellano
Barolos was a bit of a mixed bag, but that is the luck of the draw
particularly when dealing with wines of this age. The tea-colored 1952 Barolo had reached the end of its
life. The only real point of conversation was whether the wine more closely
resembled sherry or madeira. Cappellano’s
1955 Barolo was decidedly fresher in its expression of earthiness, tar,
mint, plums and prunes. Readers who own this wine will want to drink it soon.
Things got even better with the 1957
Barolo, a multi-faceted wine that offered layers of tar, spices, plums and
leather, with outstanding poise and balance. The estate’s 1958 Barolo showed why
this vintage is so highly regarded among Barolo connoisseurs. A powerful wine,
it was still remarkably fresh and packed with sweet dark fruit, black olives
and spices. It was the highlight of this flight. Sadly, the 1971 Barolo was strangely maderized and
volatile.

A group of wines from Cantina (Bartolo) Mascarello also had
its ups and downs. The 1954 Barolo,
in this vintage labeled Riserva Cannubi, was simply beautiful. It showed lovely
purity and depth, with compelling inner sweetness in its attractive dried
prunes and spices. This was the best bottle of this wine I have ever had. Mascarello’s 1982 Barolo was
phenomenal. Still deeply-colored, this powerful wine offered terrific depth and
compelling notes of crushed flowers, spices and dark red fruits. The 1989
Barolo was even better. Another massive wine, it revealed greater fruit,
structure and concentration than the 1982. Gorgeous notes of roses and spices
made an appearance before this profound Barolo shut down in the glass. Readers
fortunate enough to own the 1989 should feel no rush to drink this wine.
Unfortunately the 1971 and 1974 Barolos were both the victims of poor storage.
The 1979 Barolo was slightly corked, which was a pity as its beauty could still
be appreciated.

This last flight of wines from Bruno Giacosa was phenomenal,
most notably for the showing of several, long-forgotten, “smaller” Barbarescos.
The 1978 Barbaresco Gallina is a
wine I had never tasted, and it was a very pleasant surprise. It revealed the
essence of violets, black cherries, mint and eucalyptus with notable sweetness
and length. Like most 1978s, it appears capable of further aging, if not
necessarily additional development in this case. Giacosa’s 1985 Barbaresco Rio Sordo was sweet and perfumed, with
the accessible, generous personality that is typical of the vintage. The 1985 Barbaresco Riserva Santo Stefano
took things up a few notches. Gorgeously ripe, sweet and explosive, this full
bodied wine revealed superb length and breathtaking balance. Incredibly, the 1989 Barbaresco Riserva Santo Stefano was
even better. Still remarkably fresh and deeply structured, it offered a
compellingly seductive array of roses, violets, spices and ripe dark fruit. Two
bottles of the 1990 Barbaresco Riserva
Santo Stefano were less than satisfying and did not do justice to what this
usually remarkable wine can offer.

Giacosa’s 1982 Barolo
Riserva Collina Rionda won the award for most inspired notes hands-down.
“Monica Bellucci in a glass” and “this one goes to eleven!” were some of the
comments heard around the table. This was a terrific bottle of a moving and
monumental wine that captivated tasters with its exquisite suggestions of
roses, spices, tar and sweet ripe fruit all supported by a long, structured
frame. The 1989 Barolo Riserva Collina Rionda was utterly profound, as it so
often is. A deeply structured, fresh Barolo, it soared from the glass with a
kaleidoscope of roses, violets, licorice, spices and sweet, perfumed fruit. Angelo Gaja’s 1971 Barbaresco Sorì Tildìn
was sweet, soft, and utterly seductive, with superb length and a caressing
finish. Unfortunately his 1978
Barbaresco was flawed. Bruno
Giacosa’s 1971 Barbaresco Albesani, another rare bottling, was a huge
surprise. Beautifully poised and elegant, it offered compelling perfumed fruit
and terrific balance. It was one of the night’s most pleasant discoveries.

After all those mature wines Romano Dal Forno’s 1997 Valpolicella came as a bit of a shock, but
after a few glasses our palates re-calibrated to enjoy this sumptuous, richly
concentrated wine. Tasted from magnum, it was a remarkable wine in every way. Lis Neris’s 2004 Tal Luc (95%
Verduzzo and 5% Riesling) was gorgeous. This understated Friulian dessert wine
revealed compelling notes of apricots, licorice, flowers and minerals. We
finished with a bottle of Marion’s 2001
Passito Bianco (40% Garganega and 60% Trebbiano), from one of my favorite
Amarone producers. Made in a richer style than the Tal Luc it revealed honeyed
quality to its fruit with outstanding depth and plenty of style. This bottle
was even better than the bottle I reviewed previously. With that, we
ventured out into the cool New York night with another wonderful evening of
conversation and camaraderie to remember.

Food:&nbsp;

Assorted antipasti

Raw porcini and arugula salad.

Warm lamb's tongue with chanterelles, black truffles and
poached egg

Garganelli with porcini and oyster mushrooms

Ravioli filled with beef cheeks

Brasato al Barolo

Selection of cheeses

Wine:&nbsp; 

<table>
 <tbody><tr>
 <td>
 1952
 </td>
 <td>
 Cappellano Barolo
 </td>
 <td>
 ?
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1955
 </td>
 <td>
 Cappellano Barolo
 </td>
 <td>
 91
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1957
 </td>
 <td>
 Cappellano Barolo
 </td>
 <td>
 92
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1958
 </td>
 <td>
 Cappellano Barolo
 </td>
 <td>
 93
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1971
 </td>
 <td>
 Cappellano Barolo
 </td>
 <td>
 ?
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1954
 </td>
 <td>
 Cantina (Bartolo) Mascarello Barolo Riserva Cannubi
 </td>
 <td>
 92
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1971
 </td>
 <td>
 Cantina (Bartolo) Mascarello Barolo
 </td>
 <td>
 ?
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1974
 </td>
 <td>
 Cantina (Bartolo) Mascarello Barolo
 </td>
 <td>
 ?
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1979
 </td>
 <td>
 Cantina (Bartolo) Mascarello Barolo
 </td>
 <td>
 ?
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1982
 </td>
 <td>
 Cantina (Bartolo) Mascarello Barolo
 </td>
 <td>
 94
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1989
 </td>
 <td>
 Cantina (Bartolo) Mascarello Barolo
 </td>
 <td>
 96
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1978
 </td>
 <td>
 Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Gallina
 </td>
 <td>
 92
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1985
 </td>
 <td>
 Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Rio Sordo
 </td>
 <td>
 90
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1985
 </td>
 <td>
 Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Riserva Santo Stefano
 </td>
 <td>
 96
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1989
 </td>
 <td>
 Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Riserva Santo Stefano
 </td>
 <td>
 97
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1990
 </td>
 <td>
 Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Riserva Santo Stefano
 </td>
 <td>
 91?
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1982
 </td>
 <td>
 Bruno Giacosa Barolo Riserva Collina Rionda
 </td>
 <td>
 97
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1989
 </td>
 <td>
 Bruno Giacosa Barolo Riserva Collina Rionda
 </td>
 <td>
 100
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1978
 </td>
 <td>
 Gaja Barbaresco
 </td>
 <td>
 ?
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1971
 </td>
 <td>
 Gaja Barbaresco Sorì Tildìn&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 </td>
 <td>
 92
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1971
 </td>
 <td>
 Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Albesani&nbsp; 
 </td>
 <td>
 92
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1997
 </td>
 <td>
 Romano Dal Forno Valpolicella (magnum)
 </td>
 <td>
 94
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 2004
 </td>
 <td>
 Lis Neris Tal Luc
 </td>
 <td>
 94
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 2001
 </td>
 <td>
 Marion Passito Bianco
 </td>
 <td>
 91</td></tr></tbody></table>

[Photo and credit: Babbo, New York] --Antonio Galloni

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