Wine Advisor
Bruno Giacosa, Barolo Falletto 1993
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
For decades, Giacosa was content to buy his grapes only in the greatest vintages, but he has begun acquiring small parcels of some of Piedmont's top vineyards. He now owns a portion of the Asili vineyard in Barbaresco, and recently purchased part of the Falletto vineyard in Barolo. The 1993 Barolo Faletto is the first wine made from his estate-grown vines. The wine exhibits a deep garnet color with some amber at the edge. A provocative, complex, compelling nose of dried fruits, cedar, spice, and roasted meat and herbs is followed by a deep, rich, outstandingly-concentrated wine with bold, robust, deep flavors that exhibit abundant glycerin, as well as notes of white chocolate, figs, fruitcake, and sweet red and black fruits. This smoky, rich, nuance-filled, luscious, full-bodied Barolo should drink well for the next 10-12 years. A Leonardo Lo Cascio Selection, Winebow, Hohokus, NJ; tel. (201) 445-0620
About the Producer
Bruno Giacosa, located in the south and south-west of Piemonte, has been performing well for three generations, thanks to the careful selection of high quality grapes and the emphasis on traditional winemaking techniques. The vineyard covers 44.7 acres (18 hectares) and is planted with Nebbiolo d'Alba, Barbera and Dolcetto varieties. The average age of the vines is 15 years and the planting density is between 4,500 and 5,000 vines per hectare, with an average yield of 4,800 litres per hectare. In terms of winemaking, the owner has a classic quote: "For us, the philosophy of traditionalism means making wines that are not only strongly local to the vine and the grape variety, but also maintain the various local terroirs. We have always made single-variety wines. Our winemaking techniques have been improved and we also make use of gentle pressing, crushing operations, advanced rotary systems and optimised cold and hot treatment techniques." For Garcosa, technology and tradition are not necessarily at odds with each other. In the winemaking process, the grapes are first fermented in steel containers and then transferred to wooden containers for ageing, which varies slightly depending on the type of wine. Finally, the wine is bottled without filtering. The main wines produced by the winery are the Barbaresco Garina, the Barbaresco Santo Stefano, the Barbaresco Asili, the Barbaresco Wabasha and the Barbaresco Asili. Barbaresco Rabaja, Barolo Falletto and Barolo Le Rocche del Falletto. Some of the more recent vintages are 2001, 2000, 1998, 1997, 1996, 1990, 1989, 1982 and 1978. These vintages are often relatively closed and uninteresting when first bottled, but after 10 years in the cellar, they all show an irresistible magic.
