1971 Barolo

The 1971 Barolo from Cantina Mascarello is a relic from a time when Piedmont was a very different place than it is today, in many more ways than one. For starters, before the 1980s, reaching full maturity with Nebbiolo was a challenge, so riper vintages like 1971 were welcome. Warmer sites, where grapes reached maturity earlier, were favored, as cooler sites were more susceptible to the fall rains. Barolo was a wine whose popularity was limited only to a relatively small number of passionate consumers and collectors.

Things are totally different today. Climate change has brought with it warmer, drier growing seasons. Rain during fall is rarely an issue. Growers worry about vintages that are excessively hot and dry, and not the opposite, as their parents and grandparents did. Today’s growing conditions have resulted in a reassessment of what the best sites are and will be for Nebbiolo. And of course, Barolo is one of the most highly sought wines in the world. A wine-lover visiting Cantina Mascarello in the 1970s and 1980s could have bought pretty much all the wine they wanted. Now….well, things are completely different, let’s just leave it at that.

This wine was tasted as a part of Festa di Barolo 2008.

An evening at Cru is always a memorable experience, and this night was no exception as we were treated to an amazing dinner featuring great food, wine, and most important of all, the company of close friends. Readers who love older wines owe it to themselves to pay a visit to Cru and to explore its breathtaking wine list, which offers a rich treasure trove of selections. I think it is fair to say that every major producer of note is well represented in an astonishing range of vintages. On this occasion the focus was on Bruno Giacosa's Red Label Riservas from the mid-1980s although we did have a chance to taste some other great wines as well. The four of us had no problem polishing off these fine bottles…quite an achievement especially given that my wife does not drink much.

Service at Cru was impeccable. Wine Director Robert Bohr and his staff did a great job serving the wines throughout the course of the dinner. The almost-fanatical attention to the details of wine service, including the temperature of the wines, decanting, stemware and the labeling of multiple glasses on the table showed the highest level of professionalism and made for a very enjoyable evening. Between the four of us I think we tried most, if not all of the dishes on Chef Shea Gallante's tasting menu. Highlights included the Toro tuna, white polenta soup, confit rabbit, Maine lobster and a lovely perfectly cooked sliced squab breast. We started with the outrageous 1996 Dom Pérignon and then moved into the following wines.

Editor's note: Cru has closed since this article was first published.

A recent gathering with friends provided the perfect occasion to open a few special bottles of our favorite wines. The theme was aged, traditionally made Barolos. The setting was a beautiful country home set high in the Appenine mountains, on the border between Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany. The estate was gorgeous and peaceful, the only sounds to be heard were the barks of the playful dogs and the gentle trot of the horse. The weather was chilly so we lit the fireplace. First we tasted the wines, then we enjoyed them alongside a traditional Emilian menu of tortellini in brodo and bollito misto. While it is fun to taste wines like this side-by-side, doing so inevitably leads to comparisons of the wines. These Barolos are such idiosyncratic, highly individual wines, that they are probably best enjoyed on their own, without the presence of other wines.