Last week I played a very pleasant round of golf with Trung in the morning and then joined him and Tom at his house for a delicious Vietnamese lunch and some 1996/1997 Barolos.
Starter:
2008 F.X. Pichler Grüner Veltliner Federspiel Loibner Klostersatz. This wine smells like a breath of springtime in the mountains—with aromas of meadow grass, white flowers, wet river stones, lime rind, honeydew melon, chalk and a whisper of gunpowder that are airy and tender, yet fresh and expressive. In the mouth, it is again light and airy, with a stony character to it and some very nice flavors of green melon, grass and tropical citrus. It is a bit jazzy, with a fine twang of acidity and even a little spritz on the finish. It is just refreshing and delicious, especially on a hot summer day.
The Barolos:
1996 Cascina Bongiovanni Barolo. I’ve read that this producer is a bit modern in approach, but you would never suspect that based on the performance of this particular offering. It sports an absolutely lovely and very Old World bouquet of barnyard aromas, saddle leather, loamy earth, asphalt, violets and baked cherries that seem savory, grounded and complex. In the mouth, it is solidly-built, with good structure but also plenty of sappy and pliant cherry and other red fruit flavors. A small but steady undercurrent of tangy acidity runs all the way through it and provides freshness and push that work well within the wine’s overall character. It is drinking great right now.
1996 Giacomo Brezza & Figli Barolo Castellero. This wine smells like a bag of charcoal briquettes, complete with a giant squirt of lighter fluid. Later, it is more like mothballs in a cedar closet and a bit of nail polish, and I eventually settle on either the descriptor of “old lady hair salon” or “a mothball-lined cedar chest about to be set on fire”. Obviously, it is not appealing at all. In the mouth, though, it is plenty rich and fudgy, with an impressive amount of flavor concentration and overall density. Atop that are some lifted and bright black and red fruit and licorice rope flavors, while below is a solid core of fine acidity. It can be drunk, but that nose is just so distracting that it can barely be enjoyed.
1997 Giacomo Grimaldi Barolo Le Coste. The nose here is overt and sexy, with great aromas of plum sauce, tar oil, crushed cherries, mixed currants, exotic spices and chocolate paste accented by pretty bits of violets and balsa wood. It is lush and layered and really engaging. I guess the complaint would be that it is not particularly typical of Barolo, but I’m not complaining. In the mouth, it is seamless and richly-textured, with a fine flow and solid acidic lift to the dark red fruit. It is full of spice and shows a faint bit of wood but is otherwise focused on its thick, layered fruit goodness. Some very late tannins come into play and help turn the finish a bit drier, but this is drinking delighfully right now.
-Michael