1952 Borgogno Help

[Eric_Lundblad]

It sounds like you are set on the idea of having this without an entree, and I could see that if you are having several tasters and don’t want the wine to get lost, but I’d agree with those suggesting a pasta with a meat sauce or braised meat dish. Maybe even create a small plate to really work with those flavors. Personally I don’t think bread and oil will do it justice. It won’t hurt it, but I think there’s room for improvement.

Scott does really well with sourcing these old Barolos. Served a '64 Barale purchased from him last summer, along with a lot of other great wines, and I thought it was great. I’m typically not wild on the buy now, receive whenever model, but I make an exception for Lopa.

Whatever you decide for service, good luck with the wine, hope it’s really special!

Thanks Michael! The reason for not doing an entree is there was a specific request for NY strip steak that doesn’t really fit the wine from my understanding. I did want to have something to eat so they aren’t drinking on an empty stomach, but also don’t want to overwhelm the vino.

A Porcini & Parmesan Risotto would be perfect and works well as a small bite.

[Charles_Taylor]

I bought a 1952 Borgogno for my mom’s birthday from Lopa (thanks Scott!). It’s been standing up for about a week and will open tomorrow with plans to decant and then drink over hours or when it hits its stride.

My question is, are there any small bites or preferably cheeses worth pairing when we open the bottle? Normal Barolo pairings? Or is something this old better on its own?

A classic pairing with old Barolo is Parmigiano Reggiano and warm walnuts. Those old Borgogno Barolos are wonderful.

[Jonathan_Jetter]

I had a '47 not too long ago. I thought it was lovely on its own, really just wanted to take in the nuance of a wine that old.

I think any cured meats would work well (My friends who shared the '47 were snacking on prosciutto…), or something mushroom-y.

I also think a steak would work fine, FWIW.

[Warren_Taranow]

I agree with all of the pairing recs above. I’ve typically served my old Borgognos with a truffle dish.

Here’s my unsolicited wine prep comment, which you probably already know as it’s been posted before. I stand them up for more than a week, but you don’t have that option, so a week it is. I decant them carefully over a candle or a light many hours before serving. I stop pouring as soon as I see the sediment. Sometimes, I’ll leave 1/4 of the bottle, as IMO it’s better to have 3/4 of a bottle of clear old nebbiolo than a full serving of cloudy. The sediment in old nebbiolo is nasty and can ruin the experience. I then rinse the bottle with water, then distilled water, then try to shake out the water, then refill the bottle with the decanted wine. That way, if you have to travel, you don’t have to worry about shaking up the nasty sediment.

I have several of the 52’s, as well as many others from the 50’s, 60’s 70’ and 80’s. I hope yours shows well; I’ve yet to open a 1952. Happy Birthday to your Mom!

Cheers,
Warren

[Max_S1]

Ultimately I’ve decided to open the bottle when they get here, about 30 minutes before dinner. Pour into decanter and then into glasses about 15 minutes before dinner. That way we can try before dinner, and then sip it during (we’re having NY Strip with mushrooms). Will update you all on how it goes. Definitely wish I’d prepared more in advance, but I’m hoping a week of settling will be okay.

[Max_S1]

Played out well, thank you all again for the advice.

Opened the bottle with a normal corkscrew, top 2/3 broke and pulled out. Used an ah so on the last 1/3, but it was pushing the remainder into the bottle. Ended up coming in at an angle with the corkscrew and pulling the remaining 1/3 out slowly. Success!

Poured about 2.5-3 full glasses into a decanter before starting to see sediment. Ultimately got another half glass or so with a bit of sediment before whipping out some coffee filters (should’ve gotten cheese cloth ahead of time) - drank that towards the end of the night. As noted the sediment was ultra fine. It looked like whispy clouds snaking towards the mouth of the bottle.

Wine was in the decanter for about 5 minutes before pouring, we all tried it right then. It was nice, but a little muted and maybe acid heavy, so ended up sipping over an hour or so. Probably about 20-30 minutes in it was showing some beautiful cherry - definitely stood out as I was expecting much more tertiary flavors. I can’t believe this was a red cap, or original release that hadn’t been topped up per Ken V. Really nice balance and acidity. Incredibly smooth. About an hour in it started to show something like baking spice. The color was a limpid red, reminded me of a dull strawberry.

I’d say not in its prime, but still drinking very well and worth every last penny plus some for the experience. 10/10 would do again (for any special occasion I could justify it).

[Warren_Taranow]

Max,

Well done, it sounds like a fantastic experience. Good job with the old cork too. The waiters’ corkscrew and the Ah so work symbiotically if you start with the worm then put the ah so around it; a homemade Durand.
I’ve found the old Nebbiolos are unique in that the sediment negatively impacts the wine and is too fine to filter. Also, these wines tolerate and even require a lot of air, which would kill most other old wines.
Cheers!
Warren

[Claus_Jeppesen]

Yes, braised meat or a simple pasta (e.g., butter and herbs). The sad truth is that cheese does not do old wines any favors.

Old Meursault?

[Claus_Jeppesen]

It was apparantly a “Regulare” vintage

Barolo wine vintages: from 1951 to 1989 - Langhe Wines

[Warren_Taranow]

It was apparantly a “Regulare” vintage
Barolo wine vintages: from 1951 to 1989 - Langhe Wines

Claus,

That’s a great link; thanks. Here’s another covering Angelo Gaja’s take on '58-'11.

Cheers,
Warren

[Max_S1]

I actually emailed Borgogno and they passed me on to this site covering Barolo vintages in general: https://www.enotecadelbarolo.it/il-barolo/le-annate-migliori/

[S_teve_R_edenbaugh]

Actually want to bump this…Scott at Lopa just emailed another Borgogno Riserve offering…1947, 1958, 1961, and 1964…If I could figure out how to repost the email, I would…I’m a tech idiot.

[Max_S1]

@Lopa Wine

Giacomo Borgogno, Barolo Riserva (red capsules)
1948/1957/1961/1964
My first Borgogno offer in over two years and I’m super excited about this batch. Four classic years and four of the best examples ever made from the estate. As always, these are original “red capsule” bottles which mean that they are on the original corks and haven’t been recorked/refilled at any point. They are the more sought after wines and the only ones I will bring in from Borgogno. This is from a really beautiful collection out of Europe and I’m told a very meticulous collector. These older lots are always fun but I’m particularly pumped about this batch with their condition and price of entry. Pricing is extremely fair, these are the same prices I was working off two years ago and well under market rates now (let alone for the condition these bottles are in). I’ve had lots of great feedback from all four years and plenty of great bottles between the latter trio myself (I’ve yet to taste the '47). It’s always fun hearing when these relatively humble wines best the top producers in tastings which seems to happen more frequently than one would expect. I prefer to stick with the great, storied vintages going this far back with older Barolo and these are the famous years. Good quantities available today considering the numbers they are normally found in. To order simply reply to this email.

Cheers,

Scott