1970s Night at Babbo

Babbo

110 Waverly Place,

New York, NY 10011

Tel (212) 777-0303, (212) 777-3365

I owe special thanks to collector Bruce Fingeret for organizing this incredible dinner, which was built around a theme of wines from the 1970s. Thankfully the focus remained on the wines, and despite many threats, period music and video never made an appearance! Babbo proprietor Joe Bastianch and General Manager Colum Sheehan designed a menu that paired beautifully with these gorgeous wines. It’s awfully hard to pick highlights as this was one of the very finest meals I have ever had at Babbo. For starters, the soft shell crab was an utterly brilliant contrast of flavors and textures. The pastas were fantastic and also perfect matches for our red wines. The mixed grill isn’t on the regular menu, and the only reason I can think that might be the case is because it is a dish best suited to large groups. Nevertheless, the grilled meats were spectacular, both on their own and with some of the richer reds. I loved the lamb chops and the rare tenderloin, but everything was absolutely delicious.

We began the 1970s theme with a breathtaking set of 1976 Champagnes that was only marred by a corked bottle of Cristal. Perrier-Jouët’s 1976 Belle Epoque, from magnum, was one of the more advanced 1976 Champagnes of the night, but it was also remarkably complete and harmonious. The 1976 Salon combined elements of the taut house style with an extra dimension of fatness from bottle age. The wine was rich and energetic, with tons of length and pretty notes of tar, smoke and licorice that lingered on the finish. The 1976 Krug Vintage was spellbinding. The wine’s signature warm, toasty creaminess was beautifully balanced by vibrant, bracing acidity. It was a great Champagne. The 1976 Dom Pérignon, from original wood case, was even better. In fact, it was staggering. Delicate and floral, the wine revealed incredibly precision and detail in a perfumed, sublime style. Sweet candied Pinot notes wafted on the ethereal, sensual finish. What a wine!

The next two bottles were served blind. The 2002 Ambonnay Rouge from Jacques Selosse was a wine I had never tasted, and it was totally delicious. The next Champagne was intriguing. It was definitely 50+ years old. A number of us arrived at a creamy, supple style that clearly spoke of Pol Roger. So far, so good, but that was as far as we would get. The wine turned out to be Pol Roger’s 1947 “Wedding Cuvée” so named because this batch was disgorged in 1981 for the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana. It isn’t every day one gets to drink a piece of history, and this bottle was simply divine.

Domaine Dujac’s 1972 Clos St. Denis was simply beautiful. This delicate, mid-weight Burgundy offered up a captivating array of red cherries, flowers, autumn leaves and flowers in an ethereal style. The wine continued to open up beautifully in the glass, revealing the many shades of its complexity. This bottle of the 1972 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche was easily the finest of the three I have tasted recently. Tar, incense, truffles and deeply spiced, perfumed fruit were all woven together in a rich fabric of notable detail and class. Rousseau’s 1976 Gevrey Chambertin Clos St Jacques was remarkable for the purity and integrity of its fruit, even if didn’t have the complexity or sheer pedigree of the 1972s.

Guigal’s 1972 Côte-Rôtie La Mouline was somewhat focused for this wine, but it revealed gorgeous suggestions of dark fruit, minerals and bacon fat in an energetic, exceptionally pure style. The 1974 Côte-Rôtie La Mouline was decidedly fat, over-ripe and not particularly interesting.

I was thrilled with the showing of these wines from Bruno Giacosa, all of which I purchased from what is without question the world’s finest collection of traditional Piedmont wines. Giacosa’s 1978 Barolo Riserva Speciale Villero flowed with spices, flowers, menthol and dark fruit. This focused, powerful and pure Barolo is one of the finest wines of this extraordinary vintage for Piedmont’s reds, and this particular bottle was one of the most young, backward examples I have ever encountered. It was magnificent. The 1971 Barolo Collina Rionda was pretty much at peak. Sweet, floral layers of perfumed fruit caressed the palate in a sensual, silky style. While the 1971 Collina Rionda lacks the pedigree of the finest vintages, it is a beautiful bottle perfect for near-term enjoyment. The 1971 Barolo Riserva Rocche di Castiglione is one of the rarest of Giacosa’s 1970s Riservas. This bottle was simply beautiful. Silky, soft tannins framed a core of delicately spiced, perfumed fruit. The Rocche was all finesse and elegance. Totally Rocche and totally Giacosa. In a word: Awesome.

Food:

Babbo Salumi and Grissini

Soft Shell Crab with Watercress, Favas and Sweet and Sour Pepper Vinaigrette

Goat Cheese Tortelloni with Dried Orange and Wild Fennel Pollen

Pansoti with Walnut Sauce

Mixed Grilled Meats with Rapini and Roasted Potatoes

Assortment of Cheeses

Assorted Cookies and Biscotti

Wine:

[Photo and credit: Babbo, New York]

--Antonio Galloni