Saturday, October 16, 2010 at Alto, New York, New York

In our view, the generation that came of age in the 1950s and 1960s was Piedmont’s “Greatest Generation.”

They perfected their fathers’ pioneering work, leaving behind a heritage of arguably the most profound Barolos and Barbarescos ever made. And their work lives on as a guidepost for future generations of Langhe winemakers.

Sadly, virtually every important member of this generation has either passed away or is no longer making wine. But one giant is still with us: 72-year-old Mauro Mascarello. When Mauro took over his family domaine in 1967, he inherited one of the region’s greatest Barolo-making legacies, established by his grandfather Maurizio and father Giuseppe. For more than four decades, Mauro has carried on in the same tradition, not just filling their shoes, but becoming an icon in his own right.

At Alto on October 16, 2010, we hosted a retrospective of wines made by Mauro and his father Giuseppe. For a somewhat different take on their work, we had chosen to focus on seven historic vintages by comparing a pair of wines—either Barolo, Barbaresco or both—from each of these great years.

The Line-up:

1958 Giuseppe Mascarello Barolo
1958 Giuseppe Mascarello Barolo Riserva
1961 Giuseppe Mascarello Barbaresco
1961 Giuseppe Mascarello Barolo
1964 Giuseppe Mascarello Barbaresco
1964 Giuseppe Mascarello Barolo
1978 Giuseppe Mascarello Barbaresco Bernadotti
1978 Giuseppe Mascarello Barolo Villero
1982 Giuseppe Mascarello Barbaresco Marcarini
1982 Giuseppe Mascarello Barolo Monprivato
1996 Giuseppe Mascarello Barolo Ca' d'Morissio Riserva
1996 Giuseppe Mascarello Barolo Monprivato
2001 Giuseppe Mascarello Barolo Ca' d'Morissio Riserva
2001 Giuseppe Mascarello Barolo Monprivato

As for the venue, Alto is, of course, one of New York's great Northern Italian restaurants, well deserving of its two Michelin stars and three stars from The New York Times. For our dinner, Executive Chef Michael White and his staff prepared a brilliant, Piemontese-inspired menu to accompany the wines.