1978 & 1982 Barolo & Barbaresco @ Dovetail, NYC, 10/7/2016

NK 1978 & 1982 Barolo & Barbaresco
Dovetail Restaurant, NYC, 10/7/2016

This is the first evening of this Nebbiolo Knights weekend. We met the superb restaurant Dovetail to taste an interesting assortment of Barbarescos and Barolos from 1978 and 1982, two of the best vintages from that era.

We had a quite a mix of wines, so we ended up drinking them in pairs creating themes as best we could.

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Pre-Dinner Glass at Ben's

1989 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Corvin'ed at Ben's. Smoky, complex nose. Right at its peak of maturity I think. Absolutely delicious. (95 points)

Then we took the subway up to the
81st Street - Museum of Natural History stop:

And walked west on 81st Street past the Museum of Natural History and Shake Shack:

To arrive at Dovetail:

The gang's almost all here (missing Steve): Todd, Jamie, Kelly, Bob, Henry, Ben.

The food and service at Dovetail are exceptional starting with exquisite amuse-bouche:

Bread and hummus:

Starter
Mostly with the amuse-bouche above.

NV Emmanuel Brochet Champagne Le Mont Benoit Brut Non Dosé Premier Cru - France, Champagne
Bought off the restaurant wine list. Light, crisp, complex, soft. A lovely start. (92 points)

Flight 1: 1978 Produttori del Barbaresco Riservas

1978 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco Riserva Ovello - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
[Double-decanted around 9am.] Black cherry nose. Very appealing up front with nice black cherry fruit, but a bit dirty on the finish. (92 points)
1978 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco Riserva Rabajà - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
[Double-decanted around 11am.] Earthy mulch and red fruit nose. Quite harmonious and structured. Rich black fruit. Terrific. (94 points)

Flight 2: 1982 Produttori del Barbaresco Riservas

1982 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco Riserva Ovello - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
[Double-decanted around 2pm.] Loads of sweet red fruit in the nose. Still tannic and young. Plenty of fruit. Splendid. Notably younger than the 78. Delicious. (93 points)
1982 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco Riserva Rabajà - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
[Double-decanted around 2pm.] Dark black fruit and licorice nose. Rich thick stunning. Even after flight 5 this is showing brilliantly. My #2 WOTN. (96 points)

Appetizer
Venison Tartare with Date Vinaigrette, Lentils, Egg, Saffron. Very special. Quite complex. Not a great match to the wines.

Flight 3: Two Famous Cru Barbarescos

1978 Gaja Barbaresco Costa Russi - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
[Double-decanted around 9am.] Gorgeous sweet floral red fruit nose. In the mouth, black fruit and tannins. A magnificent wine. My WOTN. (97 points)
1982 Roagna Barbaresco Crichët Pajé - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
Corked. (NR/flawed)

Vegetable Course
Squash Agnolotti in Whipped Parsnips and Star Anise. This was so delicious.

Flight 4: Rocche di Castiglione Falletto Barolos

1982 Bruno Giacosa Barolo Rocche di Castiglione Falletto - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Double-decanted around 2pm.] Heavenly nose of roses and cherries. Structured and complex. Still some tannin. Fragrant and complex in the mouth, but a bit short. Still a terrific wine. (94 points)
1982 Vietti Barolo Rocche - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Double-decanted around 2pm.] Rich, red fruit nose. Complex and expansive in the mouth. Just a delicious long complex wine with wonderful sweet fruit. Tonight, this beats out the Giacosa due to its length. My #3 WOTN. (95 points)

Entrée
Beef Filet and Braised Oxtail with Carrot Crème Fraîche and Scallion. Delicious and great with the wine.

Flight 5: Two Top 1982 Barolos

1982 Bartolo Mascarello Barolo - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Double-decanted around noon.] Meaty red fruit nose. Tick and silky. Complex and expansive. A joy to drink. (94 points)
1982 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Riserva Cascina Francia - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Double-decanted around noon.] Slightly hot black fruit nose. Rich, silky, complex. Expansive. Another delicious wine. (95 points)

Around the table again (this time missing Jamie): Todd, Steve, Kelly, Bob, Henry, Ben.

Flight 6: Two More Barolos

1978 Cordero di Montezemolo Barolo Vigna Enrico VI - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Double-decanted around 2pm.] Lovely, ripe fruit. Youthful. A very well-made wine. (93 points)
1982 Luciano Sandrone Barolo - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Cooked or oxidized. :( (NR/flawed)

All the Wines
With Steve, Jamie, Kelly, Bob:

Dessert
Cashew Rice Pudding, Whipped Buttermilk, and Mango. Light and tasty.

Petit Fours

Too Funny!
So we each give a credit card to the waiter and ask him to split it among the eight cards.
But it seems that someone has given him a Marriott room key instead:

And the guity party is . . .

The waiter does seem disappointed that it wasn't Todd.

Summary

Two bad bottles, but all in all an interesting and enjoyable evening of good food and good wines with good old friends.

My tasting notes posted from CellarTracker.

You can find Todd Tucker's notes on this dinner on Wine Berserkers.