Perhaps my favorite Italian cuisine in the United States is from Chef Tom at Tomasso's in Brooklyn, NY. Although he is certainly capable of turning out more refined cuisine, I tend to prefer his country-styled, earthy dishes from recipes that have been passed down by his family through the ages. Since I don't get to taste his cooking as often as I would like, I always go with my favorites, in this case his extraordinary stuffed peppers and the best eggplant and meat lasagnas that money can buy. We also enjoyed something new, a wonderfully rich, but light on its feet seafood quenelles encased in cabbage. We finished with baby pork shanks, which were wonderfully tender and flavorful. I can't forget some of the heavenly Joselito salamis served at the beginning of the meal with an exquisite magnum of 1995 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Blancs de Blanc. Champagne is best out of magnum, and it's a shame they are so hard to find. There is something about that size that gives Champagne an extra intensity and delicacy.

All of Bruno Giacosa's Barbarescos and Barolos were stunning except for a badly corked bottle of the 1990 Barbaresco Santo Stefano Red Label Riserva. The 1988 Red Label Barbaresco Santo Stefano was a denser effort, without the aromatic fireworks offered by pristine bottles of the 1990. It revealed beautiful tar, rose petal, and underbrush notes along with hints of licorice and black fruits. The 1998 was very dense and rich, and seemingly on a much slower evolutionary track than the 1990. Both the 1985 and 1982 Barbaresco Santo Stefano Red Label Riservas are exquisite offerings. Already revealing considerable amber, they are fully mature, but have not changed much over the last 3-4 years. I use these two cuvéess as examples of totally à point wines that are at that magical zenith where they should remain for a number of years. While the 1982's color is lighter, both exhibit broad, savory, sweet notes of incense, licorice, high class cigar smoke, and oodles of gorgeous black cherry and cedary characteristics. They are both, expansive, full-bodied, sumptuous Italian reds that are among my favorites for current consumption. They were followed by the 1978 Giacosa Red Label Barbaresco Santo Stefano, from what may be the greatest vintage in Piedmont in my lifetime. These wines have taken an enormously long time to shed some of their tannins, yet they remain very tannic as well as concentrated. I believe this fabulous vintage has almost endless aging potential. Giacosa's 1978 reveals glorious notes of truffles, rosewater, cedar, and black fruits along with enormous body and amazing structure. Still an adolescent in terms of its evolution, it probably has another two decades left.

We then moved to a flight of three Barolos. The most evolved is Bruno Giacosa's 1989 Barolo Rionda di Serralunga Red Label. I reviewed this wine in a previous Hedonists' Gazette after taking a bottle to Mark's Duck House, and this bottle was again outstanding. It offered an explosive perfume as well as enormously opulent, voluptuous flavors, and not a hard edge to be found. This bottle seemed even more evolved than the Mark's Duck House cuvée, and I would recommend consuming this wine over the next 10-15 years. In total contrast were the two 1978s. The White Label Rocche di Falletto had thrown quite a bit of sediment. Its dark garnet color was followed by gamy, earthy, underbrush scents suggestive of Pinot Noir. In the mouth, it offered super-powerful, concentrated flavors, and plenty of tannin as well as length. It appears to be a few years away from full maturity. That wine was eclipsed by the 1978 Red Label Barolo Rionda di Serralunga, a monster effort that represents one of the great Barolos of all time. Still dark garnet-colored to the rim, with an enormous nose of damp forest floor interwoven with fresh truffles, black fruits, licorice, cedar, and incense, palate-staining levels of extract and richness, and a tannic finish, this classic Barolo will survive 40-50 years of cellaring! It's already 28 years of age ... and still young!

All in all, a great night of fabulous food and wine.