2004 Barolo Riserva Le Rocche del Falletto

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.

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.)

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.'

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 at Bar Boulud in New York City, Oct 2010.

Bruno Giacosa created quite a stir when he announced this spring that he would not bottle any of his 2006 Barolos and Barbarescos. While I wasn't surprised he would pass on bottling a few wines – as early as spring 2007 Giacosa did not present the 2006 Barbaresco Santo Stefano and Barolo Croera in my annual barrel tastings – the decision to skip an entire vintage prompted a back and forth volley of polemics that is such an integral part of the Italian way of life. Clearly Giacosa had a difficult emotional relationship with these wines from the start, as they were made in the year he suffered a stroke and was absent from the winery for long periods of time. Perhaps Giacosa simply wanted to cancel the entire year from his memory. Or maybe it is a case where the vintage quality in Giacosa's vineyards and later of the wines themselves in the cellar did not live up to his exacting standards. Given the emotional weight attached to this year I am not sure anyone – even Giacosa himself – will fully understand all of the circumstances behind the decision not to bottle the wines. After having tasted Giacosa's 2006 Barolos and Barbarescos on numerous occasions I am convinced he has bottled lesser wines in the past. It is important to remember that virtually all of Piedmont's top estates are essentially small, family-run wineries, and in that regard Giacosa is no exception. What seems pretty obvious at this point is that under normal circumstances without emotional duress, Giacosa and his team would have been better equipped to deal with the challenges of the harvest. Giacosa's decision is more a reflection of the estate's inability to deal with a difficult harvest (for understandable reasons) rather than a commentary on the intrinsic quality of the vintage itself. Giacosa may also have been prompted to skip an average year for his wines based on the exceptional juice he put into the bottle in the surrounding 2004, 2005 and 2007 vintages. Sadly, prices for the top bottles – the Red Label Barolo and Barbaresco Riservas in particular – continue to climb as collectors throughout the world recognize the quality of the wines. Still, at the risk of sounding out of touch with today's economic environment, it is pretty clear that Giacosa's finest wines remain relatively well-priced within the context of the world finest and most collectible wines. A recent bottle of the 1989 Barbaresco Riserva Santo Stefano stood shoulder to shoulder with the 1989 Haut-Brion and Rousseau's 1990 Chambertin....in fact, it may have even surpassed those icons!

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.

I won’t soon forget this spectacular dinner at Ristorante Osteria Carletti, a cozy restaurant/inn located in Bedano, Switzerland. For the occasion, dear friends in Lugano surprised me with a number of stunning wines and personal favorites. What a lineup!

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.

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.

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.

This wine was tasted at La Festa del Barolo 2011 at Del Posto, New York, in March 2011

Bruno Giacosa has long been a fan of the 2000 vintage. I found his 2000s quite forward when I tasted them at the winery in November 2010, but far fresher when I opened the same bottles from my cellar in the US.

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.

This wine was tasted over dinner in September 2006.