Francesco Rinaldi vertical and some other mature barolos

Five of us gathered for a tasting of some mature Barolos at Fabios on Friday – where else? I was aiming for 8-10 but in the end there were only five of us – it turned out to be a fun and intimate group. Going into the event we had a mini Francecso Rinaldi vertical brewing with the 64, 74 and 96. Justin and Danielle ended up bring the 61 and 70 as well…

To start:

Castello di Verduno, Bellis Perennis 2009

Fresh, vibrant, zesty, floral and minerally…from Piedmont of course, will look out for this. ****

Rinadi flight

1964 Barbaresco

Maroon cloudy, with nose of acetone/nail polish remover; musty and austere on the palate with brown sugar and molasses like a ’54 Madeira, still alive but clinging on - NR

1974 Barolo

This had curious sweet, musty cocoa/chocolate-y nose; bit soupy on the palate, some minerals and tar but this went downhill through out the evening to the point where it became undrinkable - NR

1970 Barolo

Austere but interesting nose of baking powder; thick and expansive on the palate, masculine, authoritative and regal, meaty notes, in its prime; really sings the high notes, magnificent with food ******

1961 Barolo Riserva Speciale

This has a lighter mature colour. A very different creature to the 1970, this effused feminine charm, delicacy, sophistication, complexity and typicite. Rose, tars and other ethereal scents, this evolved beautifully through the evening; heavenly. A perfect, and perfectly resolved, Barolo. *******

1996 Barolo Brunate

Thicker and surprisingly accessible, classic aromas of tar, roses and tobacco, will evolve well ***(**)

Other wines

1967 Prunotto Barolo

A revelation – very lively with animal and gamey notes, very complex with lots going on; delicious and fully resolved – Barolo does not get much better *******

1978 Feyles Barolo Riserva Speciale 1978

Pure bright vibrant pink-maroon colour, this was a delightful wine with gorgeous fruit, fully resolved; some sweet cherry notes dominated other more nuanced flavours. This is a beautiful and much better than the first two I have tried from this batch. It only lacked a tad of complexity compared to the 61 and the 67. ******

1999 Cappellano Pie Rupestris

Thick and opaque, dense and powerful great potential, needs a lot of time ****(**)

We had a very nice modern-looking bottle of German Riesling to end up – Schmitges or something like that, but I was too happy and blotto-ed to notice

The 1961 Rinaldi was deservedly voted wotn by four out of five participants. It was a brilliant wine at its pinnacle aged 50. The 1967 Prunotto came second, with one first vote, two second votes and two third votes. The 1970 Rinaldi came third with two second votes and two third votes, while the Feyles scored one third place vote.

If one word would describe that dinner it would be 'happiness.' Next up Tuscans at Kittle tomorrow night with Jacques and Pierre...before turning into a pumpkin at midnight.