2011 Barolo Falletto di Serralunga d'Alba

Production of cult Barolos and Barbarescos is down here as Giacosa has pulled up his Rocche for replanting and stopped buying Santo Stefano fruit after 2011.He also decided not to bottle any 2010s, which will further limit the number of releases here over the next couple of years.It's worth pointing out that on my latest trip, Giacosa's fellow growers in Barbaresco were less upset by his decision not to bottle 2010s than they had been when he similarly skipped 2006, another vintage rated highly by many Barbaresco producers.Young Francesco Versio came on board as winemaker in November of 2010 and vinified his first set of wines in 2011.Long-time enologist Dante Scaglione continues to provide experienced advice to Versio.Meanwhile, Giacosa himself continues to prowl the vineyards; he was off to inspect the vines in Serralunga on the afternoon I visited the winery in Neive.Versio describes 2011 as a warm year that produced elegant, velvety wines that are not classic--a bit like 2000, which was actually a splendid vintage for Giacosa.The '11s, he told me, will be ready to drink on the early side.Given the expense and difficulty of purchasing prime vineyard land in Barolo or Barbaresco crus these days, Bruna Giacosa was thrilled to announce that her family had recently been able to buy a prime 0.5-hectare piece of Rabaja and plans to make 4,000 bottles or so from these vines in 2013.(Note that I have included a couple of reviews of wines released last year, as I had not previously tasted these wines.)

Bruno Giacosa's 2009s are a small improvement over the 2008s. I found the Falletto a little bit fresher than the Rocche del Falletto, but both wines are pretty forward, especially given what Giacosa fans are likely to expect. I suggest readers drink the wines sooner rather than later.

Things remain very much in a state of transition at Giacosa. The estate skipped the 2010 vintage entirely, the second time in five years Giacosa decided to not bottle a single bottle of Barolo or Barbaresco, the other was 2006. Extensive replantings are underway at Falletto, the family's Serralunga property, while Giacosa sold Croera, their Nebbiolo parcel in La Morra. Longtime winemaker Dante Scaglione returned as a consultant in 2011, a year that resembles 2007, the last truly great vintage Bruno Giacosa bottled. Let's hope Giacosa can get back on track. I have said it before and will say it again. Bruno Giacosa remains one of my favorite estates, but today's wines pale in comparison next to the best bottles that have emerged from this family-run property over the last several decades. Recent bottles of 1964 Barbaresco Riserva Santo Stefano and 1971 Barolo Rocche di Castiglione have been magnificent, as have bottles of the 2007 Barbaresco Asili Riserva.

It's hard to know what to make of Bruno Giacosa's 2008 Baroli. Over the years I have had the privilege and pleasure to drink virtually all of Giacosa's wines from both legendary and weaker vintages all the way back to 1961. These wines don't match anything in my previous experience.

The good news here is that Dante Scaglione, Giacosa's long-time enologist before leaving in March of 2008, is now back as a consultant, to help out young winemaker Francesco Versio beginning with the 2011 harvest. But I did not have a chance to see Giacosa himself, as he was in the hospital following a recent fall. Scaglione described 2009 as "similar to 2007, a warm vintage that's between the more structured 2008 and the less classic 2007 in style." The wines, he went on, will drink well early. "The 2008s are more classic and fresh and will have a longer life. But they're very young today. The 2007s were more drinkable at the same stage."

The good news here is that Dante Scaglione, Giacosa's long-time enologist before leaving in March of 2008, is now back as a consultant, to help out young winemaker Francesco Versio beginning with the 2011 harvest. But I did not have a chance to see Giacosa himself, as he was in the hospital following a recent fall. Scaglione described 2009 as "similar to 2007, a warm vintage that's between the more structured 2008 and the less classic 2007 in style." The wines, he went on, will drink well early. "The 2008s are more classic and fresh and will have a longer life. But they're very young today. The 2007s were more drinkable at the same stage."

My annual tasting with Bruno Giacosa encompassed all his 2008s and 2009s, plus the 2000 Baroli and Barbareschi, which will be covered in a subsequent article. Vintage 2008 and 2009 are both interesting, but don't look to be as consistent across the board as 2007. Never one to say much, Giacosa is quite reserved and even severe with his own wines, with the exception of the occasional wine that crosses his lips and elicits a ‘this is good.'

Bruno Giacosa stirred up a shitstorm in the Langhe when he was quoted by a wine journalist saying that he didn't much like the 2006 vintage and did not plan to release any Barbarescos or Barolos under his own label. Giacosa, after all, is an icon and an opinion leader in the region, and many of his colleagues in Barbaresco were immediately concerned that they'd have trouble selling their 2006s-wines that many of them consider to be outstanding. What Giacosa actually said may never be known, but what's clear is that the year has bad associations for him. He suffered a stroke early in 2006 and was hardly in shape to worry about vineyards and harvesting in the subsequent months. Happily, he was in much better form by the time I tasted with him in September 2007 and on my most recent visit he was quite excited about his young 2007s. The best proof of this enthusiasm was his feeling that this vintage will yield two riserva bottlings. He compared 2007 to 2000, which fans of Giacosa's wines know was a great vintage for him. In 2005, all of his Barbarescos and Barolos were bottled with white labels (i.e., not riserva) but I had the impression that he now views these wonderfully perfumed wines in a better light. "At the beginning," said Giacosa, "we didn't think the 2005s could be long agers. Now they still don't have hugely concentrated color, but it's clear that they can certainly age." Giacosa admitted a preference for Barolo over Barbaresco in this vintage, despite that fact that a higher percentage of fruit was harvested in Barbaresco before the damaging early October rains. Incidentally, long-time winemaker Dante Scaglione left in March of 2008 and was replaced by Giorgio Lavagna, who was previously head winemaker at Batasiolo in La Morra.

Bruno Giacosa stirred up a shitstorm in the Langhe when he was quoted by a wine journalist saying that he didn't much like the 2006 vintage and did not plan to release any Barbarescos or Barolos under his own label. Giacosa, after all, is an icon and an opinion leader in the region, and many of his colleagues in Barbaresco were immediately concerned that they'd have trouble selling their 2006s-wines that many of them consider to be outstanding. What Giacosa actually said may never be known, but what's clear is that the year has bad associations for him. He suffered a stroke early in 2006 and was hardly in shape to worry about vineyards and harvesting in the subsequent months. Happily, he was in much better form by the time I tasted with him in September 2007 and on my most recent visit he was quite excited about his young 2007s. The best proof of this enthusiasm was his feeling that this vintage will yield two riserva bottlings. He compared 2007 to 2000, which fans of Giacosa's wines know was a great vintage for him. In 2005, all of his Barbarescos and Barolos were bottled with white labels (i.e., not riserva) but I had the impression that he now views these wonderfully perfumed wines in a better light. "At the beginning," said Giacosa, "we didn't think the 2005s could be long agers. Now they still don't have hugely concentrated color, but it's clear that they can certainly age." Giacosa admitted a preference for Barolo over Barbaresco in this vintage, despite that fact that a higher percentage of fruit was harvested in Barbaresco before the damaging early October rains. Incidentally, long-time winemaker Dante Scaglione left in March of 2008 and was replaced by Giorgio Lavagna, who was previously head winemaker at Batasiolo in La Morra.

Bruno Giacosa seems to be in better shape each time I see him, but on my latest visit, in November 2008, he seemed particularly energized. We spent several hours tasting through the 2006s and 2007s from barrel, along with all of the 2005s and 2004s from bottle. As my readers know, I have been following Giacosa's 2005 Barolos for several years and I have been fond of these wines for some time, as they have always demonstrated exceptional balance. Now that the wines are in bottle they are every bit as delicious as they were from barrel. Giacosa fans will want to give these 2005 Barolos (and the Barbarescos, too) careful consideration as 2006 is shaping up to be a weaker vintage here. On the subject of the 2005 Barbarescos, they are every bit as successful as my scores suggest, if anything I may have misjudged just how great the wines will ultimately be. As for the 2005 Barolos, the wines seem to have been helped quite a bit by the southern exposure of the Falletto vineyard.

It is an absolute thrill to revisit Bruno Giacosa's 2004 Barolos. When all is said and done 2004 will go down as one of the truly epic Giacosa vintages, joining the likes of 1961, 1964, 1971, 1978, 1982, 1985, 1989, 1990, 1996, 2000, 2001 and 2007, for Giacosa and his then long-standing oenologist Dante Scaglione gave the world a stunning set of Barolos and Barbarescos that continue to deliver the goods. Although I did not taste the 2004 Barbarescos for this article, I have tasted them informally over the last year or so and found them every bit as impressive as my original reviews suggested. Among Giacosa's 2004s, only the Barolo Croera falls short, which may explain why it was only made once.

This wine was tasted over dinner, November 2014

Bruno Giacosa's profound 2004s, which I first wrote about in Issue 173, continues with these superb Barolos, all of which merit close attention. I also had a chance to re-taste the 2004 Barbarescos and they were every bit as impressive as they have been on previous occasions.

Bruno Giacosa has been responsible for many of the most memorable Barolos and Barbarescos I have enjoyed through the years, so I was thrilled to be able to taste with him again in September. After all, Giacosa had suffered a stroke in early 2006, but he was slowly on the mend in September and was quite excited to show and discuss his young 2004s. He described this vintage as great, having produced elegant, structured wines with superb fruit, especially in Barolo. He added that he never expected the 2003s to be outstanding but that they have turned out to be "very good," even if there was a lot of stress on sandier sites in Barbaresco. Two thousand five, he went on, is a good normal crop of wines, from a summer that was "not great. " My tasting with Giacosa, his daughter Bruna and long-time enologist Dante Scaglione once again turned up some epic bottles that remained in my mind, if not on my palate, through my entire stay in the region. I tasted on a warm day in a room with a broken air-conditioner, but Giacosa's Barolos and Barbarescos have a way of focusing the mind and body.

Bruno Giacosa's 2003 Barolos are both very pretty. All the Giacosa signatures are in place, although the wilted, roasted personality of the vintage is impossible to escape.

Bruno Giacosa has been responsible for many of the most memorable Barolos and Barbarescos I have enjoyed through the years, so I was thrilled to be able to taste with him again in September. After all, Giacosa had suffered a stroke in early 2006, but he was slowly on the mend in September and was quite excited to show and discuss his young 2004s. He described this vintage as great, having produced elegant, structured wines with superb fruit, especially in Barolo. He added that he never expected the 2003s to be outstanding but that they have turned out to be "very good," even if there was a lot of stress on sandier sites in Barbaresco. Two thousand five, he went on, is a good normal crop of wines, from a summer that was "not great. " My tasting with Giacosa, his daughter Bruna and long-time enologist Dante Scaglione once again turned up some epic bottles that remained in my mind, if not on my palate, through my entire stay in the region. I tasted on a warm day in a room with a broken air-conditioner, but Giacosa's Barolos and Barbarescos have a way of focusing the mind and body.

At a time in life when many of h is colleagues have begun to slow down, Bruno Giacosa continues to make stunning wines of the highest level. Of course Giacosa has the good fortune of having the services of long-time oenolog ist Dante Scaglione, who is one of the most prodigiously talented winemakers in Italy. Although age has slowed Giacosa down somewhat, he was in fine form during the several hours we spent tasting h is 2004, 2005 and 2006 Barolos and Barbarescos from barrel earlier th is year. Simply put, 2004 will go down as one of the all-time great Giacosa vintages for both Barolo and Barbaresco. The Red Label Riservas are the Barbaresco Asili and the Barolo Le Rocche del Falletto, but h is other wines aren't too far behind in terms of quality. From cask, the Barolos revealed slightly more prom ise, but that may be splitting hairs at th is level. In 2004 Giacosa also fulfilled a long-standing dream by making h is first Barolo from La Morra, the Barolo Croera, which will be released next year. The Croera is made from a newly-acquired vineyard in the Serradenari d istrict of La Morra, an area best known for its Dolcettos. So far Giacosa's 2005s appear to be well-balanced, yet smaller-scaled wines that will likely drink well relatively early, while the 2006s are decidedly bigger and more powerful. I also noted a marked improvement in the quality of the Barbaresco Santo Stefano, which is the only single-vineyard wine the estate still makes from purchased fruit. Our tasting ended with the 1967 Barbaresco Riserva Asili. It was, in a word...sublime. The world will have to wait for the 2004 Barolos and Barbarescos to be released, in the meantime readers will find no shortage of compelling offerings among th is set of new releases from Bruno Giacosa. The 2006 Dolcettos are excellent to outstanding, while the 2005 Barberas reflect the more modest qualities of that vintage. Giacosa is among the producers whose views on the vintage for Barolo and Barbaresco have changed dramatically in recent years. While many producers draw compar isons with 1947, Giacosa is one of the very few who can speak from personal experience. At first pessim istic, he initially thought he might not bottle any of h is top wines but as time has passed h is stance has changed, and today he is much more enthusiastic about the vintage.

This is a fabulous set of wines from one of the great Giacosa vintages. Admittedly, opening ten year-old Giacosa Barbareschi and Baroli must be viewed as a purely academic excercise, as the wines are nowhere near ready. Readers will have to be especially patient, as most of these wines have entered a closed phase after having been surprisingly accessible early on.

Although Bruno Giacosa is a shy, introspective man, he has always been available for at least a quick “hello,” so my most recent visit to the estate was poignant as it was the first time in several years Giacosa wasn't on the property. I know I am joined by admirers around the world in wishing him a speedy recovery from his recent health issues. In the meantime, I am confident that the winery is in good hands with long-time oenologist Dante Scaglione, a man who has dedicated the bulk of his career to the family and the estate. With his 2000s but even more so his 2001s, Giacosa has really reached stratospheric levels. Readers who are looking for wines that are relatively accessible and offer super-ripe, sweet fruit will love the 2000s, while those who prefer wines with more aromatic complexity and nuance will likely gravitate towards the 2001s. In 2000 I believe Giacosa was more successful with his Barbarescos than with his Barolos. As for the 2001s...well, they are awesome across the board. The wines have much of the ripeness and sweet fruit of the 2000s, but with more explosiveness, complexity, depth, freshness as well as silky, elegant tannins that give the wines a sense of total balance and harmony. These are very complete wines to marvel over. In 2003 the only Barbaresco that has been bottled is the Asili. Like many of their colleagues Giacosa and Scaglione have been positively surprised with how well that wine has developed over the past few years.

Bruno Giacosa is known for his stone-faced mien, but as I tasted through his line-up of 2000s I had a hard time keeping a stupid grin off my face. Those who consider 2000 to be an outstanding vintage for Langhe nebbiolo must surely have tasted these wines. Giacosa has scored big-time in this vintage. Increasingly, it seems to me that the great traditional producers of Barolo and Barbaresco of the '70s and early '80s are no longer quite so obviously in a league of their own. But Giacosa has not missed a step. At the same time, in recent superripe vintages like 2000 and 2001, Giacosa's Barbarescos and Barolos strike my palate as a bit less austere than previously, with a decadent sweetness that's hard to find elsewhere in the zone. This is hardly a complaint!

I found it at least slightly surprising that ultra-traditionalist Giacosa prefers the 2000 vintage to 2001. "It's best when a vintage is great and easy, like 2000," he told me, adding that 2001 produced a tougher style of wine. "Two thousand is similar to 1998, which is easy to drink now or in the future but has better acidity than 2000. In fact, 1998 combines the best traits of 1996 and 1997. Nineteen ninety-nine, in comparison, is difficult to drink now and needs aging. Sugars were actually a bit lower than those of 2000 and 1998, but this vintage is the deepest in terms of coloring matter." At the time of my visit, Giacosa did not expect to be able to make Barolo or Barbera in 2001 (unlike most of his colleagues in the Langhe, Giacosa has never been loath to express reservations about a vintage): "Even before the hail, the season was terrible. We had no warm sun since the beginning of June and we had a lot of rain for a full month during the middle of summer."

These two Barolos capture one of the greatest partnerships Piedmont has ever seen. Bruno Giacosa and his then winemaker Dante Scaglione were at the peak of their collaborative powers in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The results of that era include two 1999 Barolos that capture the essence of a truly great vintage. The 1999 Barolos were fabulous from the very beginning. I have so many fond memories of drinking these Barolos when prices were low and market had not figured out yet just how great the wines were. How things have changed since then. Although the 1999s are gorgeous today, I must add that readers who did not taste the wines when they were young, perhaps out of fear of opening wines that weren't ready, missed out glorious drinking during those years. The 1999s are terrific today, but I am not sure they are meaningfully better than they were at the outset; just more mature.

For Bruno Giacosa vintage 1999 was more successful in Barolo rather than Barbaresco, where climactic conditions proved to be very challenging. “Our Barbaresco vineyards got hit by hail four times in 1999,” explains long-time enologist Dante Scaglione. “The most severe hailstorm came in August, so at least in some places the vines had time to recover before the harvest, but nevertheless it was a difficult vintage.” In Rabajà the damage was so extensive that a wine from this plot was not released. In Asili the conditions were less severe, although the wine does show the effects of the compromised fruit in its evolving color and flavors. Santo Stefano was also a victim of hail but seems to have been less adversely affected. Fortunately weather conditions were much more favorable in Barolo where Giacosa produced three excellent Barolos in 1999. The estate's Barolo normale comes from the youngest vines in the Falletto vineyard, where the plants average 6-7 years in age. “When Nebbiolo vines are young they tend to produce slightly bitter, astringent tannins. Even though we prune the vines and green harvest, those plants simply aren't old enough to be used for the more important Barolos, so they go into the normale,” says Scaglione. These younger vines tend to be planted in spots that have a southwest orientation, meaning they receive mostly the afternoon sun, as opposed to the more south-facing center portion of the vineyard which is used for the Barolos Falletto and Le Rocche del Falletto. Le Rocche del Falletto, made from the heart of the vineyard, is a “cru within a cru” and is one of Barolo's most legendary wines. It is here that the vines have the best exposure. Although the older age of the plants gives naturally low yields, Giacosa has historically preferred to maintain a more moderate approach to crop-thinning and his yields have never been among the lowest in the region. The discussion around Red Label Riservas and White Label Non-Riservas is always a hot topic of conversation. “To be honest, like many people we got a little carried away with the enthusiasm surrounding vintage 2000,” says Scaglione. “We already had plans for a Red Label Santo Stefano (the 1998) and Red Label Barolo (the 2000 Le Rocche del Falletto) and we probably overlooked the 1999 Le Rocche del Falletto. To me it was always a wine worthy of the Red Label. I think of it as a slightly lesser version of the 1996 Riserva Falletto (Red Label), and very much in the same mold stylistically.” [Editors Note: The 1996 Riserva Falletto was made from the plot now known as Le Rocche del Falletto.] Many observers have noted that Giacosa's wines have become more approachable over the last few years. This is no doubt due to several factors, including warmer vintages (1997, 1998, 2000) and the replacement of many of the estates older barrels beginning in 1997. His 1999 Barolos, however, are a throwback to a more traditional style and will appeal to those who appreciate classically structured wines. I left my bottles of the 1999 Barolos Falletto and Le Rocche del Falletto open for days and the wines were still outstanding nearly a week after having been opened. “The growing season was quite favorable,” says Scaglione. “Summer was hot although it never got too hot, and into the fall we had the cool nights which are so essential for Nebbiolo. We did about 12-15 days fermentation after which the wines completed their malolactic fermentations, mostly in steel. The malos were finished largely by the end of the year, with a few barrels taking until January. [Editors Note: In 2004 the malos went well into the following spring.] We had good acidity after the malos, ranging from 5.5% to 6%, compared to the roughly 5% we had in vintages like 1997, 2000 and 2003. The wines then went into large barrels of either 55 to 110 hectoliters where they completed their aging for roughly 30 months for the Barbarescos, 32 months for the Barolo normale and 36 months for the Barolos Falletto and Le Rocche del Falletto.”

Bruno Giacosa is known for his stone-faced mien, but as I tasted through his line-up of 2000s I had a hard time keeping a stupid grin off my face. Those who consider 2000 to be an outstanding vintage for Langhe nebbiolo must surely have tasted these wines. Giacosa has scored big-time in this vintage. Increasingly, it seems to me that the great traditional producers of Barolo and Barbaresco of the '70s and early '80s are no longer quite so obviously in a league of their own. But Giacosa has not missed a step. At the same time, in recent superripe vintages like 2000 and 2001, Giacosa's Barbarescos and Barolos strike my palate as a bit less austere than previously, with a decadent sweetness that's hard to find elsewhere in the zone. This is hardly a complaint!

I found it at least slightly surprising that ultra-traditionalist Giacosa prefers the 2000 vintage to 2001. "It's best when a vintage is great and easy, like 2000," he told me, adding that 2001 produced a tougher style of wine. "Two thousand is similar to 1998, which is easy to drink now or in the future but has better acidity than 2000. In fact, 1998 combines the best traits of 1996 and 1997. Nineteen ninety-nine, in comparison, is difficult to drink now and needs aging. Sugars were actually a bit lower than those of 2000 and 1998, but this vintage is the deepest in terms of coloring matter." At the time of my visit, Giacosa did not expect to be able to make Barolo or Barbera in 2001 (unlike most of his colleagues in the Langhe, Giacosa has never been loath to express reservations about a vintage): "Even before the hail, the season was terrible. We had no warm sun since the beginning of June and we had a lot of rain for a full month during the middle of summer."

I found it at least slightly surprising that ultra-traditionalist Giacosa prefers the 2000 vintage to 2001. "It's best when a vintage is great and easy, like 2000," he told me, adding that 2001 produced a tougher style of wine. "Two thousand is similar to 1998, which is easy to drink now or in the future but has better acidity than 2000. In fact, 1998 combines the best traits of 1996 and 1997. Nineteen ninety-nine, in comparison, is difficult to drink now and needs aging. Sugars were actually a bit lower than those of 2000 and 1998, but this vintage is the deepest in terms of coloring matter." At the time of my visit, Giacosa did not expect to be able to make Barolo or Barbera in 2001 (unlike most of his colleagues in the Langhe, Giacosa has never been loath to express reservations about a vintage): "Even before the hail, the season was terrible. We had no warm sun since the beginning of June and we had a lot of rain for a full month during the middle of summer."

The '98s have higher sugars, says enologist Dante Scaglione, but the '99s boast firmer acidity. In fact, adds Scaglione, pHs in '99 are as low as those of the classic '96 vintage, the recent vintage that was highest in polyphenols. The '97s, he adds, are almost drinkable right now. Sunny, dry days and warm nights in the weeks leading up to the '97 harvest resulted in substantial loss of coloring matter in the skins. Some of the fermentations were difficult (in a couple of instances the malos finished before the sugars were completely fermented), with the result that volatile acidity levels are at the high end of the acceptable range, which has the effect of making the wines even more expressive early on. Giacosa has somewhat shortened total maceration times in recent years, to about 15 days. The current crop of wines, thanks in equal part to shorter time on the skins and the ripeness of recent growing seasons, will not be quite as austere and forbidding in their youth as Giacosa wines of even a decade ago, but this magician's Barolos and Barbarescos from the best vintages still have fruit of steel.

The '98s have higher sugars, says enologist Dante Scaglione, but the '99s boast firmer acidity. In fact, adds Scaglione, pHs in '99 are as low as those of the classic '96 vintage, the recent vintage that was highest in polyphenols. The '97s, he adds, are almost drinkable right now. Sunny, dry days and warm nights in the weeks leading up to the '97 harvest resulted in substantial loss of coloring matter in the skins. Some of the fermentations were difficult (in a couple of instances the malos finished before the sugars were completely fermented), with the result that volatile acidity levels are at the high end of the acceptable range, which has the effect of making the wines even more expressive early on. Giacosa has somewhat shortened total maceration times in recent years, to about 15 days. The current crop of wines, thanks in equal part to shorter time on the skins and the ripeness of recent growing seasons, will not be quite as austere and forbidding in their youth as Giacosa wines of even a decade ago, but this magician's Barolos and Barbarescos from the best vintages still have fruit of steel.

Giacosa is enamored with the '96 vintage, which he compares in quality and balance to the fabulous year of 1971. The Giacosa '96s I tasted are legends in the making, among the high points of my recent tour and truly great examples of traditional winemaking. Aromatically speaking, they are truly exhilarating wines, and they appear to have the sheer material and sweetness at the core to outlast their powerful, palate saturating tannins. The '97s, says Giacosa, will not be as great as the '96s. The grapes were too dry, he explains; they would have been better for a bit of well-timed rain. 1996 was a more regular year, yielding wines with superb color and structure, thanks largely to sound acidity. They also offer a rare degree of flavor development. x000D x000D x000D x000D x000D x000D Giacosa, who bought a prime five hectare parcel of Barbaresco Asili in time for the '96 vintage (he previously owned a single hectare here), produced a sizable 21,000 bottles of this wine in '96. Incidentally, Giacosa made Barolo Villero in both '96 and '97, but will not offer a Rionda.

Bruno Giacosa was at the peak of his powers when he and winemaker Dante Scaglione made these stellar Barolos and Barbarescos. The Red Label Riservas are every bit as exceptional as their reputation suggests, but some of the White Labels in 1996 are also well worth seeking out.

I was thrilled to receive an invitation to join a group of august Piedmont lovers, many of whom I have known personally since the early days of Piedmont Report, for this remarkable tasting of wines from Bruno Giacosa. We all brought bottles from our cellars organized around several loose themes and enjoyed them over a delicious dinner at DeGrezia in New York City. Founding Vinous has been incredibly gratifying for many reasons, not the least of which is seeing the lifelong friendships that are formed by wine lovers with shared interests.

The '98s have higher sugars, says enologist Dante Scaglione, but the '99s boast firmer acidity. In fact, adds Scaglione, pHs in '99 are as low as those of the classic '96 vintage, the recent vintage that was highest in polyphenols. The '97s, he adds, are almost drinkable right now. Sunny, dry days and warm nights in the weeks leading up to the '97 harvest resulted in substantial loss of coloring matter in the skins. Some of the fermentations were difficult (in a couple of instances the malos finished before the sugars were completely fermented), with the result that volatile acidity levels are at the high end of the acceptable range, which has the effect of making the wines even more expressive early on. Giacosa has somewhat shortened total maceration times in recent years, to about 15 days. The current crop of wines, thanks in equal part to shorter time on the skins and the ripeness of recent growing seasons, will not be quite as austere and forbidding in their youth as Giacosa wines of even a decade ago, but this magician's Barolos and Barbarescos from the best vintages still have fruit of steel.

Giacosa is enamored with the '96 vintage, which he compares in quality and balance to the fabulous year of 1971. The Giacosa '96s I tasted are legends in the making, among the high points of my recent tour and truly great examples of traditional winemaking. Aromatically speaking, they are truly exhilarating wines, and they appear to have the sheer material and sweetness at the core to outlast their powerful, palate saturating tannins. The '97s, says Giacosa, will not be as great as the '96s. The grapes were too dry, he explains; they would have been better for a bit of well-timed rain. 1996 was a more regular year, yielding wines with superb color and structure, thanks largely to sound acidity. They also offer a rare degree of flavor development. x000D x000D x000D x000D x000D x000D Giacosa, who bought a prime five hectare parcel of Barbaresco Asili in time for the '96 vintage (he previously owned a single hectare here), produced a sizable 21,000 bottles of this wine in '96. Incidentally, Giacosa made Barolo Villero in both '96 and '97, but will not offer a Rionda.

Giacosa is enamored with the '96 vintage, which he compares in quality and balance to the fabulous year of 1971. The Giacosa '96s I tasted are legends in the making, among the high points of my recent tour and truly great examples of traditional winemaking. Aromatically speaking, they are truly exhilarating wines, and they appear to have the sheer material and sweetness at the core to outlast their powerful, palate saturating tannins. The '97s, says Giacosa, will not be as great as the '96s. The grapes were too dry, he explains; they would have been better for a bit of well-timed rain. 1996 was a more regular year, yielding wines with superb color and structure, thanks largely to sound acidity. They also offer a rare degree of flavor development. x000D x000D x000D x000D x000D x000D Giacosa, who bought a prime five hectare parcel of Barbaresco Asili in time for the '96 vintage (he previously owned a single hectare here), produced a sizable 21,000 bottles of this wine in '96. Incidentally, Giacosa made Barolo Villero in both '96 and '97, but will not offer a Rionda.

Our flight of Bruno Giacosa's 1982s was staggering for its depth and the perfection of the wines themselves.