A wine made when Nixon was President reminds us how sexy 'old' can be

As a critic, I get to taste many hundreds of wines each year and sometimes get invited to events, many of them involving wine regions, wineries or importers presenting their latest releases. Sometimes the wines are memorable and I write about them; sometimes not.

One of the more unusual experiences of this kind came not long ago when I was invited to stop by Morrell & Co., the well-known New York retailer and wine bar just across the street from my  office in Rockefeller Center. The occasion was an updating of the store and bar and a chance to taste a few wines. There was a rosé from Provence, a red Bordeaux and a California chardonnay. Good wines, but hardly the stuff of which memories are made.

Fortunately, there were more wines to taste. There, on the counter, sat three very large bottles that towered over the others around them. Each was a Barolo, the famous wine from the region of the same name in Piedmont in northern Italy. Not only that, they were from the 1970s -- a ‘79, a ‘76 and a ‘70 to be precise. They represented an unusual chance to go back in time.

 
Wine is all about connections -- to those with whom we enjoy it and, for me, connections to wines themselves and their histories. The most interesting and vital of these old Barolos was the 1970, which was clearly a very good vintage for Barolo.

To put the year it in context, Richard Nixon was president, the Beatles broke up and the computer floppy disk was introduced, all of them relegated to history long ago. In Barolo, on the other hand, Giacomo Borgogno would make a wine that would remain vibrant for decades to come, the 1970 Barolo Riserva “Antichi Vigneti Propri.’

The nebbiolo grape attains its greatest expression in Barolo and the wine is made for aging, gradually losing the strongly tannic character of its youth and evolving, in the best vintages, into a transcendent experience in which fruit and wood and sense of place become one.

As I stood at the counter, David Johnson, Yung Leung and Jura Almeida carefully poured small quantities of wine from the big bottle, which held 3.78 liters and would cost more than $500 today, into a decanter for aeration. Then they poured a half an inch or so into our glasses. The color was light brick red; the aromas conveyed red fruit, roses and cedar.

This is the kind of wine that makes you want to talk about it with anyone around you, and I found myself doing just that – describing how it was still very much alive after all these years, with vibrant acidity, still-firm tannins and beautiful fruit.

With each small glass I found myself focusing on something different: in one glass an emphasis on the secondary tastes of leather, meat and beef bouillon cube; in another hints of raspberry, blueberry and a long, mineral-driven finish.

We all had the sense on this evening that we were tasting something unique, something that could not be replicated. I found myself transported back to another era, thinking of the images and the history of the time, and in my glass, enjoying something old that was still very much alive.

The Daily Sip: Early Thanksgiving wine tip -- Chiarlo’s winning and versatile Barbera d’Asti

Michele Chiarlo is one of the biggest estates in Italy’s Piedmont, producing a range of wine from Barolos and Barbarescos among the reds to Gavis and Moscato d’Astis among the whites. One of Chiarlo’s most familiar and popular wines in this country is the Barbera d’Asti Superiore “Le Orme.” For a simple pasta sauce I  made using some of the season’s last tomatoes, I picked up a bottle of the 2007 the other day for about $16 and was not disappointed.

Barbera, with its signature acidity, happens to be one of the great food wines, especially for tomato-based sauces, which have their own high acidity. Add to that the concentrated fruit of Chiarlo’s wine, and you’ve got a winning combination. Sometimes the acids can be a bit over the edge in Barbera, but that’s not the case here with everything in balance. Black cherry and blueberry notes dominate with some cedar, herbs and a vanilla touch on the smooth, long finish. The fruit was even prettier the next day, the wine benefitting from a day of breathing. I thought to myself that this would also be an excellent Thanksgiving wine, holding up to the myriad tastes on the holiday table. Alcohol is 13 percent. Imported by Kobrand Corporation, New York.

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Sips: some favorite late-summer wine values from Spain, Chile and Italy

SIP: The weather has cooled slightly, but there’s still lots of time for rosé, including Julián Chivite’s 2009 Gran Feudo Rosado from the Navarra region of Spain.  It had been a few years since I tasted this wine, and I was reminded the other day just how delicious it is for all of $10 (that’s what I paid for it, but I’m sure you can find it for even less). Made from the garnacha (grenache) grape, with notes of cherry, cassis and spice. It’s great on its own and will match with lots of foods, including chicken, duck, tuna and bluefish. Alcohol 13 percent. Imported by Spain Wine Collection, Congers, New York.

SIP: Natura is a line of wines made with organically grown grapes by Viñedos Emiliana in Chile’s Valle Central. The other day I got  around to tasting the 2008 Natura Cabernet Sauvignon. This is superb, inexpensive cabernet (Wine-Searcher.com lists it from $8 to $12) and is superior to almost all cabs from California at this price. It’s 85 percent cabernet with 10 percent carmenere and smaller amounts of cabernet franc and malbec. It shows good varietal character with notes of blackberry, black cherry, mocha and some herbal overtones. Well balanced, moderately tannic and ready to drink (I enjoyed it slightly chilled). Alcohol 14 percent. Imported by Royal Imports, Old Brookville, New York. (Received as a press sample.)

SIP: With Italian-style tomato sauces, I am partial to Italian wines, and one of my recent favorites is Fontanafredda’s 2008 “Briccotondo” Barbera from the Piedmont region. I’ve bought it twice recently in New York and Long Island, paying $15 each time. The other night we enjoyed it with a simple sauce created from a big bag of “seconds” tomatoes I bought for $2 at one of the local farm stands, some basil and parsley. I tossed the pasta into the sauce in a cast-iron skillet,  sprinkled some grated mozzarella cheese on top and then broiled it for a few minutes to create a wonderful crusty top. Our whole meal (for six people) cost about $10 or so and the Briccotondo was the perfect accompaniment with its ample acidity and notes of cherry, blueberry and earth. A good, inexpensive barbera like this one is just made for simple, fresh tomato sauces that we are lucky enough to make at this time of year. Alcohol 13.5 percent. Imported by Domaine Select Wine Estates, New York.

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Barolo and the last of the tomatoes

It was a bit young, but we enjoyed an excellent Barolo the other night with a hearty ragu I created from sweet and hot Italian sausage (Premio, made in Rochelle Park, N.J., is the local brand I prefer) and the last of the tomatoes I picked last fall near our house on Long Island and froze for use over the winter. Freezingin Ziploc bags, I have found, is a whole lot easier than traditional canning, and the tomatoes maintain their sweet taste many months later. Alas, we’ll now have to wait until late next summer to experience those sweet, locally grown tomatoes.

In any event, the wine was the 2004 Barolo from Silvano and Elena Baroli, an excellent, surprisingly accessible example, given its youth, of the great nebbiolo grape from Italy’s Piedmont. It was full of earth, truffle, and dry tannins, along with dark cherry, blueberry, coffee and chocolate notes – a wine to sip, savor and contemplate that will, of course, become more refined with age.  Around $40. Imported by Dalla Terra Winery Direct, Napa, California. (Received as a press sample.)

Notable winter reds

At 17 degrees here in New York , some hearty reds I’ve enjoyed  in recent days come to mind.

From the far reaches of my wine collection, Chateau Lagrezette’s 2000 Cahors “Le Pigeonnier” demonstrates what a few years of bottle age will do for malbec grown in Cahors in southwest France. Cahors is usually quite rough when young, but this one, at nine years old, had given up most of its rough edges when I served it with some steaks grilled in the fireplace the other night. Notes of blackberry, black cherry, mocha and cedar. A superb wine. When I looked for retailers that carried it on wine-searcher.com, there was exactly one listing: Gary Vaynerchuk’s Wine Library in Springfield,  New Jersey,  which offers it at $154. Obviously a wine for special occasions.

From Italy’s Piedmont, Marchesi di Gresy’s 2006 Barbaresco “Martinenga” is an excellent wine from the famed Barbaresco appellation. Made from the region’s signature nebbiolo grape, I was surprised by its accessibility at this youthful stage. Light ruby in color, it’s softly tannic with delicious fruit, showing notes of raspberry, cherry, tobacco and  earth.  Irresistible. For all kinds of roasts (we enjoyed it with homemade spaghetti and meatballs). $55. Imported by Marchesi di Gresy USA, Napa, California.

From the south of France, Hecht & Bannier’s 2006 Cotes du Roussillon Village is a winning blend of mainly grenache with smaller amounts of syrah and carignan with notes of sweet blackberry, cherry and earth. Bright acids balance the 14.5 percent alcohol and make it an excellent partner for pan-seared pork chops, sirloin steak and lamb. The suggested price is $25. Imported by Frederick Wildman and Sons, New York.

Top-value nebbiolo

 

Nebbiolo, the great red variety from Italy's Piedmont, is best known for its expressions in Barolo and Barbaresco, which typically require years of aging before the wines are truly accessible. It's possible, however, to find more approachable nebbiolos that can be enjoyed in their youth.

One of them is Renato Ratti's excellent 2007 "Ochetti" Nebbiolo d'Alba. It's only moderately tannic with notes of dark cherry, earth and cedar. It's also a top value at about $20. Imported by Dreyfus, Ashby & Co., New York.