Wine Advisor
Bruno Giacosa, Barolo Le Rocche del Falletto Riserva 2000
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2000 Barolo Riserva Le Rocche del Falletto is like silk on the palate. Sweet, ripe tannins frame an exquisite core of fruit. The 2000 is remarkably elegant, sensual and polished but it doesn’t quite provide the visceral thrill of the most monumental vintages. Still, this is a very strong showing from a wine that has frankly never moved me emotionally. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2020. 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.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
2000 Bruno Giacosa Barolo Riserva Le Rocche del Falletto—Color is a rich dark ruby. This enveloping and dense Barolo features a nose of spices, menthol and minerals followed by flavors of rich dark fruits, and stewed prunes. A wine of tremendous length, although it is very backward at the moment. 94 points/drink after 2008, 12/04
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
Giacosa’s 2000 Barolo Riserva Le Rocche del Falletto is very representative of the vintage. Already showing a somewhat advancing color, it offers a beautiful nose redolent of spices, flowers, menthol and minerals followed by layers of finessed, super-ripe fruit that unfold onto the palate with plenty of style and length. Today it comes across as a very delicate, almost feminine version of itself, and it lacks the power and thrust of such great vintages as 1999 and 2001 as well as the promising 2003 and 2004 versions. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2020. Importer: Winebow, Hohokus, NJ; tel. (201) 445-0620
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
I have had mixed experiences with Bruno Giacosa’s 2000 Barolo Riserva Le Rocche del Falletto, but this bottle, from a case I purchased on release, is absolutely stellar. Intensely sweet, floral aromas soar from the glass. Radiant, open-knit and super-expressive, the Riserva captures all the best qualities of the vintage. It has been a few years since I last tasted the 2000. In that time, the wine appears to have barely budged at all, which will come as welcome news to readers who own it. The 2000 Riserva doesn’t quite reach the heights of the truly epic Giacosa wines of the era, but it comes close, especially on this night. I can only hope that future bottles show this well.
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.
