Piedmont 2013, Day 3 - Visit to Bruno Giacosa

I was very much looking forward to this visit. Bruno Giacosa, along with others like Bartolo Mascarello and Giacomo Conterno, been widely regarded as an epitome of traditional winemaking in Piedmont, with the Nebbiolo going through long maceration times and aging in botti (the only concession to modern ways being the use of French, rather than Slovenian oak in their construction). However, it has been a time of change for the property. Bruno Giacosa himself, who has often been feted as one of the best wine producers in Italy, suffered a debilitating stroke in 2006 that forced him to stop work in the vineyards and winery. And then there was the strange unexpected leaving (in 2008) and subsequent, equally unexpected return (in 2011) of his longtime oenologist Dante Scaglione, with the interregnum being filled by one Giorgio Lavagna. With all that going on, I was very interested to see what the recent wines are like.

It was a blazingly hot 35 degrees celsius when we pulled up to Giacosa in Neive after lunch. I was very glad to retreat into the cool of the winery. After a short tour and introduction, we then settled down in the comfortable tasting room for a leisurely one hour or so with the wines.

I thought the pre-2009 wines were classic Giacosa - full, powerful, intense; yet also very firm and structured, they are clearly built to be aged for a long time. However, while not quite as modernly plush and polished as, say, Gaja, or as effortlessly graceful as Elio Grasso, for example, no one could ever accuse these wines of being rustic - in spite of their muscular power and structure, they also carry a real finesse, even elegance, a nobility if you will, sometimes with a rather floral charm that can surprise a newcomer to the wines. There seemed to be a real change of gear in the 2009 and later wines though - they were still good, but somehow seemed softer, plusher, more forward, and perhaps holding out less promise for longevity. A bit different from what I am used to with the house. Of course, we tasted too little to really say whether this was just a difference in vintage character or, as I suspect, a change brought about during Giorgio Lavagna's short time as oenologist. I must say though that I preferred the more classic feel of the earlier wines.

• 2011 Bruno Giacosa Barbera d'Alba 88 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Alba, Barbera d'Alba

  Not bad. This was quite tight at first, taking awhile to open up into dark aromas of black cherries and berries, violet flowers, and a touch bramble and spice on the nose. The palate had a big, ripe feel to it, with dark notes of black cherries, prunes and plums seasoned with plenty of spice. Velvety tannins and supple tannins carried it into a long, spice infused finish that showed a bit of heat. A decent enough Barbera. Given how big a wine it is though, it needs a few years to come together before showing its best.

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• 2011 Bruno Giacosa Nebbiolo d'Alba Valmaggiore 91 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Alba, Nebbiolo d'Alba

  This was a good entry-level Nebbiolo. It showed a really aromatic nose, with perfumed scents of flowers and red cherries floating over a savoury bed of cured meat accents. The palate was really clean and fresh, with easy, accessible flavours of cherries and red berries structured by velvety tannins. It finishes pleasantly, with a juicy crunch of fruit. Not the most complex of wines, but this was quite delicious. Pretty nice – one for early to mid-term drinking I would say.

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• 2009 Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Albesani Vigna Santo Stefano 92 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco

  A very friendly, forward Babaresco, surprising for a young Giacosa Santa Stefano, but this was really quite nice. The nose was very inviting, with ripe red fruited aromas of sweet raspberries and cherries, a floral waft of rose petals, then salty scents of olives and anchovies, and a nice twist of minerally earth. Very nice. The palate had a really elegant feel to it, with super fine tannins and fresh, supple acidity wrapped around ripe red fruit flavours of strawberries and juicy cherries seasoned with some spice. This had a really clean, open and elegant mouthfeel. I thought the finish was a little short, but it had a nice seam of mineral and spice as it pulled away. Quite lovely really. This was a wine with a nice shape and lovely proportions to it, but it was not quite classic, lacking a bit of the solid backbone that allows Giacosa’s wines to age so prodigiously. It is very nice though, and will make excellent mid-term drinking at least over its first decade-and-a-half.

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• 2008 Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Asili 92 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco

  Good, but very, very young. It had a much tighter, more compact bouquet than the open and expressive 2009 Santa Stefano that preceded it, with light red fruited notes woven with a nice minerality, a touch of meat, and some lovely rose aromas. Lots of lovely little complexities on the nose, but all still a little muted. The palate was just as tight, maybe even tighter than the nose, with darker notes of black cherries, plums and berries – a rather pure expression, with a nice juicy feel to it. The dark fruit was then met on the midpalate by a twist of black tea and some loquat and herb notes. The mouth was still coated with a layer of fine tannins though, giving the wine a rather austere feel, especially into the finish, which had some bittersweet herbs and spice showing a really nice length on the back-palate. Obviously good, but rather inaccesible at the moment. This should age very nicely though. 92+

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• 2009 Bruno Giacosa Barolo Le Rocche Del Falletto 93 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  Like the Santa Stefano (the other 2009 in the line-up), this came across as a rather plush, forward Barolo, especially from a vineyard like Le Rocche del Faletto. Very good though. It had a really fresh nose of ripe dark cherries and red berries, even some brighter pomegranate aromas, and then rose flowers and some meaty, savoury notes. The palate showed a lot of mouth-filling fresh fruit, with juicy black cherries and plums, and then a touch smoke, earth and savoury meat, all held in velvety tannins. The long, plush finish showed a nice interlace of spice and mineral. It had a very soft, but very fresh feel on the back-palate. This was very pleasing, with a nice fullness to it, yet with a decent enough sense of well-integrated structure; and while comparatively a very easy wine, it is still a bit too firm to be enjoyed fully now. Excellent stuff. I do think it will soften relatively quickly though, probably starting to show well within the next 4-5 years. It will not be the longest lasting wine however – I cannot help feeling that this is one for the midterm, say 10, maybe 15 years, rather than for the long-haul, but it should be a real peach of a wine at its peak.

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• 2007 Bruno Giacosa Barolo Riserva Le Rocche Del Falletto 95 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  A tremendous wine – this was a clear step up from everything else we tasted at Giacosa, and was indeed one of the two or three best wines of the entire trip. The nose was a little tight at first, but it opened up slowly to show reserved but quietly insistent aromas of black cherries and blackberries, almond fruit, a suggestion of meat and mineral, some balsamic notes, and just the lightest dusting of smoke and spice. Very pleasant. The palate was still very much dominated by its structure, with firmly muscular but somehow very refined tannins that coated the tongue and teeth, and supple, sweet acidity that left a real sense of fresheness in the mouth. However, weaving its way above, around and underneath that great structure was an effortlessly powerful beam of pure black fruit, black cherries, blackberries and plums - pure Serralunga. These were then seasoned with reams of spice and a little edge of smoke as the wine wound its way into a super long, powerful finish. Very full, very powerful, yet somehow still really neatly controlled and perfectly integrated, so that even with all its power, this was still a noble wine, showing a lot of finesse and elegance. A very complete package. This is a great wine, but it is still a baby. Give it 10 years a least if you want to start enjoying it, 20 if you want to try catching it at anywhere near peak. Superb stuff.

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