Last weekend was my husband’s 40th birthday. We had originally planned a foodie extravaganza weekend in Chicago with friends, but circumstances conspired against us. He is an airline pilot, and couldn’t bid the weekend off, but his schedule ended up including a 36-hour layover in New York. Since he is from New York, and still has so many friends there, it seemed like the perfect solution. We decided to have a dinner birthday party with his closest New York friends. Although he, perhaps, might have skipped the significance of the birthday, I wanted to commemorate it. So, after some research, I found a 1971 Barolo for us to enjoy. Unlike my birth year, (and many vintages of the 70’s,) 1971 was a pretty good year in Italy and, especially the Piedmont. Robert Parker rated the year 94 for Barolo.
I was very much looking forward to us toasting his 40th birthday with a 40-year old wine. We decanted the Cordero di Montezemolo Barolo Monfalleto while we began with a nice Gavi di Gavi that primed our palates for the “main course.” The wine was poured and we all sipped history. I will admit, you never know with older wines. Although I knew that this wine had been stored impeccably, it still might disappoint. But the Monfalleto did not. Unfortunately, I didn’t take detailed tasting notes- we were at a birthday party after all- but I remember my impressions. There was such depth and complexity. Of course, after 40 years, you will lose some fruit- but this still has dried cherries, prune and tart cranberries. These were joined by leather, truffles, earth, tobacco and that indefinable sense of “terroir.” For those of you not familiar with the term, it loosely translates as “a sense of place,” and this wine brought you to the Piedmont, 40 years ago.
We all were enraptured, and we saved a bit for the manager of the restaurant who had allowed us to bring it in. After awhile, he came over to take a taste of th ’71. He made a face immediately. “This is bad,” he pronounced, “This is the problem with Italian wines, they fall apart with age.” He insisted in providing us with a much “superior” bottle- a Ca’ Bertoldi Amarone. I do love Amarone. Because they dry the grapes before pressing them and making the wine, I think they tend to have a great deal of depth and body. However, as good a the Ca’Bertoldi was, it was still young. But the manager’s reaction made me think. Were we giving the Barolo attributes it didn’t have? Were we loving it simply because it was the perfect wine to celebrate a milestone birthday? Then I tried a sip of what was lef and all doubts left my mind. It wasn’t bad, it was aged…. aged to perfection. And, I hope I get the chance to try a lot more wine that have hit their prime.
