M&PD Tasting: Italy (Seattle, WA, USA): Sadly this bottle was a touch oxidized with an overt celery salt component on the nose that would never shake. Some VA and more lifted aromatic do also peek out over time. Such a palate, rose and cherry, incredibly energy and acidity. Yet there is a caramel sweetness that creeps in and shows the oxidation.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Restaurant note. 3 hour decant, returned to bottle and then 90 minute more decant before dinner course. Pale tawny, but surprisingly clear Heady spices, tar and smoke, soy, wood spice, floral, roses, cherry, mushroom, Indian spices, clove, dried herbs. Complex wine. Best taste was last taste at dinner’s end after total of 6+ hour decant. Old school Barolo, and Giacosa in particular, once again needs more time than you would think and in the case of older vintages, may be willing to risk in fear of missing the sweet spot.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Perfectly stored since release, high fill. Cork soaked to 20%. Ruby with broad orange rim. Only hints of cherry fruit left and with tertiary scents and flavors like soy, tobacco, menthol, smoke, almonds and sherry notes. Definitely in his late winter of its life and past his prime. 4/13/18/7. Drink it up!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Perfectly cellared since release at 12°C. Cork in pristine condition. Limpid ruby in thick layers to orange and amber. Only hints of cherry fruit survived, mainly now soy, pine and spices. On the palate showing more complexity with some more fruit and lovage, chamomille, tannins nearly completely resolved, with the exception of the last glass from bottle. No decant. Definetily in the winter of its life and for my palate even past its prime. Nevertheless it will slowly dull over one decade or more. 5/13/19/8. Drink it up!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Delicate nose, floral and secondary. Sweet evolved fruit on the palate, again delicate but with lovely balance and persistency. Served later alongside the Falletto, the classic village differences were apparent although by this stage (the second half of the bottle) the Santo Stefano ad become a bit muted by sediment. These old Giacosas should always be decanted: the Falletto had been decanted and remained clear as a bell.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Classic. Complex aromatics of dark cherry, iron, minerals and tobacco. Powerful and hugely structured. Still comes off as very young and this needed far more air time than we gave it. Improved to the last sip. A great Giacosa. 97+
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Elegant and detailed nose has earth, smoke, Italian spice (oregano?) and some nice fall leaf tertiary spice on top of fully mature and drying red fruit. Stood up for several days and carefully decanted so the glasses were fresh and clean. Lighter style red fruit on the palate. Still has some unresolved tannin. Very nice. Superior to a ’90 Collina Rionda served later on.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Saturday lunch gathering (Bethesda, Maryland): Medium expressive nose dominated by iron, also sweet red fruit, strawberry jam, a hint of cherry, cedar, leather, cinnamon and iron mineral. Fully integrated palate, finely layered slightly coiled red fruit, silky and polished, bright acidity and iron mineral, still showing significant tannins, and a medium to long slightly dry sweet red fruit driven finish with iron at the end. This was decanted ahead. This may be a blasphemy for some but I prefer only a splash decanting for the 89 Giacosa wines. As Eric Guido observed, the 89 Giacosa SSR losses fruit with air. I prefer to enjoy fruit than mineral so it is a matter of personal preference. Everyone prefers the 89 Monprivato.
Not blind. That nose! It's a combination of balsamic, rose petals and some strawberry fruit with a touch of VA that is just intoxicating. The nose alone is worth the price of admission, and it took me 5 minutes before I even tasted the wine. You can tell the VA on the nose, but this is a wine where the VA is perfectly integrated. On the palate, the fruit hits you, and it's somehow both sappy, balanced and seamless at the same time. This is clearly secondary, yet so vibrant. The fruit expands over the entire palate with slightly ripe strawberry compote notes and maybe just a touch of mint and spice. The finish is long, but the acidity is so well balanced here that this never feels at all ripe or hot. Unlike others, I didn't find this Burgundian - the nose and fruit are all wrong for Burgundy to me. But that doesn't matter - it's an absolutely spectacular wine on its own and thanks to Jason a privilege to drink.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Hugley perfumed: a lung filling nose with roses, cherry fruit, and balsamic notes more than tar. Smelling this would have been enough, and on the palate the beauty continued with tremendous sap and breadth. It's expansive, with near perfect balance, richness, and depth that seems bottomless. All without any fat to it. Perfectly balanced acidity acts as a perfect counter to the power and extract. A tremendous expression of effortless power without weight. Near perfect with a life span of decades to go. Amazing.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
This was the only wine from this lineup that became more closed than open after being decanted. The nose was dark and brooding, almost like you could tell that the ‘89 Santo Stefano wasn’t ready to be opened yet. Notes of red berries, minerals and sweet florals wafted up from the glass with coaxing. On the palate, I found a compact expression, with silky textures ushering in dark red fruits, sweet and sour spice, earthy minerals and residual fine tannin. The finish was long, yet still quite youthful, as tannins coated the palate, along with dried red fruits and minerals.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Roses and tar on the nose. A touch of caramel that blew off. Terrific texture. A profoundly deep nose and palate. Rich yet with great tension and balance. Some Luden's cough drop cherry balsamic notes fill your nose and then your whole palate when you drink it. Expansive yet graceful, with terror sap and Giacosa sweet fruit. This wine just flows everywhere filling the space with its perfume. Over time it opens up more, with roses, balsamic, note. Incredible wine, and on any other day I would call it perfect, but there was a glass next to it that was better. Another reason why points can't convey the wine. Fantastic wine and a privilege to drink.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
1989 Piedmont Retrospective (Cinghiale, Baltimore): Beautiful perfectly mature complex nose displaying subtle sweet red fruit, strawberry jam, raspberry, dry cherry, cedar, spearmint, anise, Asian spices, cinnamon, leather and iron mineral. Perfect balance and harmony, very finely layered subtle sweet red fruit, soft, sweet and warm, exceptional precision and detail, perfect amount of acidity and mineral, most resolved very fine tannins, and an incredibly long sweet red fruit driven finish with a hint of mint and Asian spices at the end. With air, constrantly transforming, becoming very Burgundian. Initially not as good as the Rionda but gets better and better. A rare occasion where I have the privilege of drinking two perfect wines.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
The flight of SSRs included the 90, 89, 85 and 82 and was my favorite flight of the night. The 90 is at its apogee and clearly drinking the best now. the 89 is a monster, 100 point wine which just keeps getter better as long as we drink it. The 85 was my least favorite and the 82 I thought was intense and rich. Most people felt the opposite about the last two
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Weekend with Eddie - Part 1 (Marea, New York City): I realize that this is highly revered. Even if this was not served in the same flight as the 89 Falletto riserva and CRR, this would have been a bit of disappointment. Delicate red fruit driven nose, strawberry water, rose, kerosene, tar, iron, fungus and truffle. Delicate palate, a hint of oxidative note, good mineral presence and medium finish with a hint of rot as the end note. Around 91-93 pts but better not rate as I am not entirely certain if the bottle is correct.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Double decanted a few hours before serving, quite a bit of sediment. beautiful color, an initially reticent nose. When served this had opened up somewhat sharing a firm red fruit and floral core. Intense but balanced this is still a baby. There was an off component to the nose that lingered, perhaps the decanter or glasses were not well cleaned, odd and hard to pinpoint. A good but unspectacular showing compared to prior bottles. This was served along side a simply beautiful 1990 Monfortino which was singing.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
BYO Barolo Dinner (Campagna at the Bedford Post Inn): Stunning wine. Intoxicating nose – I could have just smelled this all night. So layered and complex. Perfectly ripe, sweet cherry fruit. Everything is in the right place here – perfectly harmonious. Unbelievable intensity. Everything I imagine a Barbaresco could be at about 25 years old. I couldn’t get enough of this. The stand-out wine for me in a line-up of stand-out wines. WOTN.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Quite structured and young. Medium-bodied with near perfect balance, this is all about elegance and grace in a tight, sleek package. Classic flavors of tar and roses with ripe, dark red fruits. Finishes long and spicy with developing complexity and hints of mint and licorice. A classic in the making but still well short of its peak in my opinion. This will be fabulous to follow over the next decade. 95+
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
colore rosa trasparente, tocco tartufato, naso profondo, poliedrico, su toni di fiori, brodo buono, un filo evoluto, su toni chiari, naso con brodo e buccia d'arancia, bocca più dolce, piena, finale enorme, lunghissimo
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Began as medium red but deepened in the glass. Wow, what an explosive nose! Enough to make you weep with joy. Gorgeous dried cherry, mint, rose, and then secondary high tones and nutmeg-like spice. Ripe fruit of great subtlety and low key sweetness, perfect weight, fantastically caressing finish despite significant tannins still to be resolved. It kept growing, changing, and improving-a gentle, unrelenting crescendo like Ravel's Bolero in a glass. Multidimensional and probably no more than at the midpoint of its development given how it evolved in the decanter. I can only fantasize about how spectacular this might be in another 20 years once it develops its autumnal aromatics atop this fabulous fruit. This "out-Burgundied" a Grand Cru Burgundy tonight and qualifies as the best red wine I've had in some time. What an exclamation point to a weekend of phenomenal wines. A second wave of tears came when I realized that I actually owned this wine at one point and was just too damn impatient to hold onto it.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
A Knight at babbo (New York): Bright deep and lovely. A touch soapy on the nose at first then turning deep and brooding with an intense rich marzipan note that adds roasted plums, sandlewood and very fine tea top notes to the explosive nose. Lush and integrated in the mouth, the tannins drape across the tongue like silk couched in deep ripe fruit up front but the structure slowly crowds out the nuance on the back end and the wines finish shortens and tightens up with air. Still exceptional if in need of 5 years in the cellar.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
1/16/2024 - Eric wrote: flawed
M&PD Tasting: Italy (Seattle, WA, USA): Sadly this bottle was a touch oxidized with an overt celery salt component on the nose that would never shake. Some VA and more lifted aromatic do also peek out over time. Such a palate, rose and cherry, incredibly energy and acidity. Yet there is a caramel sweetness that creeps in and shows the oxidation.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/16/2024 - Brolawa wrote:
MPD dinner at Nell’s. A bit of heat weighing down wine. Hard to judge. When opened, was alive and peppery. Ox took over fairly quickly.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/18/2023 - Venice Al Likes this wine:
Restaurant note. 3 hour decant, returned to bottle and then 90 minute more decant before dinner course.
Pale tawny, but surprisingly clear
Heady spices, tar and smoke, soy, wood spice, floral, roses, cherry, mushroom, Indian spices, clove, dried herbs. Complex wine. Best taste was last taste at dinner’s end after total of 6+ hour decant. Old school Barolo, and Giacosa in particular, once again needs more time than you would think and in the case of older vintages, may be willing to risk in fear of missing the sweet spot.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/6/2023 - Caruso wrote: 93 Points
Perfectly stored since release, high fill. Cork soaked to 20%. Ruby with broad orange rim. Only hints of cherry fruit left and with tertiary scents and flavors like soy, tobacco, menthol, smoke, almonds and sherry notes. Definitely in his late winter of its life and past his prime. 4/13/18/7. Drink it up!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/8/2023 - Caruso Likes this wine: 95 Points
Perfectly cellared since release at 12°C. Cork in pristine condition. Limpid ruby in thick layers to orange and amber. Only hints of cherry fruit survived, mainly now soy, pine and spices. On the palate showing more complexity with some more fruit and lovage, chamomille, tannins nearly completely resolved, with the exception of the last glass from bottle. No decant. Definetily in the winter of its life and for my palate even past its prime. Nevertheless it will slowly dull over one decade or more. 5/13/19/8. Drink it up!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/13/2022 - jamesabdavis wrote:
Delicate nose, floral and secondary.
Sweet evolved fruit on the palate, again delicate but with lovely balance and persistency.
Served later alongside the Falletto, the classic village differences were apparent although by this stage (the second half of the bottle) the Santo Stefano ad become a bit muted by sediment. These old Giacosas should always be decanted: the Falletto had been decanted and remained clear as a bell.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/13/2021 - bill00 wrote: 97 Points
Classic. Complex aromatics of dark cherry, iron, minerals and tobacco. Powerful and hugely structured. Still comes off as very young and this needed far more air time than we gave it. Improved to the last sip. A great Giacosa. 97+
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/27/2021 - The Vines That Bind wrote: 94 Points
Elegant and detailed nose has earth, smoke, Italian spice (oregano?) and some nice fall leaf tertiary spice on top of fully mature and drying red fruit. Stood up for several days and carefully decanted so the glasses were fresh and clean. Lighter style red fruit on the palate. Still has some unresolved tannin. Very nice. Superior to a ’90 Collina Rionda served later on.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/7/2020 - dcwino wrote: 94 Points
Saturday lunch gathering (Bethesda, Maryland): Medium expressive nose dominated by iron, also sweet red fruit, strawberry jam, a hint of cherry, cedar, leather, cinnamon and iron mineral. Fully integrated palate, finely layered slightly coiled red fruit, silky and polished, bright acidity and iron mineral, still showing significant tannins, and a medium to long slightly dry sweet red fruit driven finish with iron at the end. This was decanted ahead. This may be a blasphemy for some but I prefer only a splash decanting for the 89 Giacosa wines. As Eric Guido observed, the 89 Giacosa SSR losses fruit with air. I prefer to enjoy fruit than mineral so it is a matter of personal preference. Everyone prefers the 89 Monprivato.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (4)
8/5/2020 - Nicephoras wrote:
Not blind. That nose! It's a combination of balsamic, rose petals and some strawberry fruit with a touch of VA that is just intoxicating. The nose alone is worth the price of admission, and it took me 5 minutes before I even tasted the wine. You can tell the VA on the nose, but this is a wine where the VA is perfectly integrated. On the palate, the fruit hits you, and it's somehow both sappy, balanced and seamless at the same time. This is clearly secondary, yet so vibrant. The fruit expands over the entire palate with slightly ripe strawberry compote notes and maybe just a touch of mint and spice. The finish is long, but the acidity is so well balanced here that this never feels at all ripe or hot. Unlike others, I didn't find this Burgundian - the nose and fruit are all wrong for Burgundy to me. But that doesn't matter - it's an absolutely spectacular wine on its own and thanks to Jason a privilege to drink.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/25/2019 - cct wrote: 99 Points
1989 Retrospective at Leonti
Hugley perfumed: a lung filling nose with roses, cherry fruit, and balsamic notes more than tar. Smelling this would have been enough, and on the palate the beauty continued with tremendous sap and breadth. It's expansive, with near perfect balance, richness, and depth that seems bottomless. All without any fat to it. Perfectly balanced acidity acts as a perfect counter to the power and extract. A tremendous expression of effortless power without weight. Near perfect with a life span of decades to go. Amazing.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/15/2019 - Eric Guido Likes this wine: 94 Points
This was the only wine from this lineup that became more closed than open after being decanted. The nose was dark and brooding, almost like you could tell that the ‘89 Santo Stefano wasn’t ready to be opened yet. Notes of red berries, minerals and sweet florals wafted up from the glass with coaxing. On the palate, I found a compact expression, with silky textures ushering in dark red fruits, sweet and sour spice, earthy minerals and residual fine tannin. The finish was long, yet still quite youthful, as tannins coated the palate, along with dried red fruits and minerals.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/14/2018 - cct wrote: 99 Points
1989 Nebbiolo at Cinghiale (Cinghiale, Baltimore): '89 nebbiolo at Cinghiale
Roses and tar on the nose. A touch of caramel that blew off. Terrific texture. A profoundly deep nose and palate. Rich yet with great tension and balance. Some Luden's cough drop cherry balsamic notes fill your nose and then your whole palate when you drink it. Expansive yet graceful, with terror sap and Giacosa sweet fruit. This wine just flows everywhere filling the space with its perfume. Over time it opens up more, with roses, balsamic, note. Incredible wine, and on any other day I would call it perfect, but there was a glass next to it that was better. Another reason why points can't convey the wine. Fantastic wine and a privilege to drink.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/14/2018 - dcwino wrote: 100 Points
1989 Piedmont Retrospective (Cinghiale, Baltimore): Beautiful perfectly mature complex nose displaying subtle sweet red fruit, strawberry jam, raspberry, dry cherry, cedar, spearmint, anise, Asian spices, cinnamon, leather and iron mineral. Perfect balance and harmony, very finely layered subtle sweet red fruit, soft, sweet and warm, exceptional precision and detail, perfect amount of acidity and mineral, most resolved very fine tannins, and an incredibly long sweet red fruit driven finish with a hint of mint and Asian spices at the end. With air, constrantly transforming, becoming very Burgundian. Initially not as good as the Rionda but gets better and better. A rare occasion where I have the privilege of drinking two perfect wines.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
8/20/2018 - tinybubbles wrote: flawed
Displayed traits of maderization.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/5/2017 - ricknat1 wrote: 100 Points
The flight of SSRs included the 90, 89, 85 and 82 and was my favorite flight of the night. The 90 is at its apogee and clearly drinking the best now. the 89 is a monster, 100 point wine which just keeps getter better as long as we drink it. The 85 was my least favorite and the 82 I thought was intense and rich. Most people felt the opposite about the last two
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/12/2017 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 96 Points
Clean and pure. Great bottle of this wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/24/2017 - ricknat1 wrote: flawed
corked
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/15/2016 - dcwino wrote: flawed
Weekend with Eddie - Part 1 (Marea, New York City): I realize that this is highly revered. Even if this was not served in the same flight as the 89 Falletto riserva and CRR, this would have been a bit of disappointment. Delicate red fruit driven nose, strawberry water, rose, kerosene, tar, iron, fungus and truffle. Delicate palate, a hint of oxidative note, good mineral presence and medium finish with a hint of rot as the end note. Around 91-93 pts but better not rate as I am not entirely certain if the bottle is correct.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/10/2015 - paul195 wrote:
Double decanted a few hours before serving, quite a bit of sediment. beautiful color, an initially reticent nose. When served this had opened up somewhat sharing a firm red fruit and floral core. Intense but balanced this is still a baby. There was an off component to the nose that lingered, perhaps the decanter or glasses were not well cleaned, odd and hard to pinpoint. A good but unspectacular showing compared to prior bottles. This was served along side a simply beautiful 1990 Monfortino which was singing.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/10/2015 - ricknat1 wrote: 98 Points
Powerful, intense and very drinkable. Layered and silky and it will only get better
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/9/2015 - bill00 wrote: 100 Points
BYO Barolo Dinner (Campagna at the Bedford Post Inn): Stunning wine. Intoxicating nose – I could have just smelled this all night. So layered and complex. Perfectly ripe, sweet cherry fruit. Everything is in the right place here – perfectly harmonious. Unbelievable intensity. Everything I imagine a Barbaresco could be at about 25 years old. I couldn’t get enough of this. The stand-out wine for me in a line-up of stand-out wines. WOTN.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/10/2012 - dream wrote: 95 Points
Quite structured and young. Medium-bodied with near perfect balance, this is all about elegance and grace in a tight, sleek package. Classic flavors of tar and roses with ripe, dark red fruits. Finishes long and spicy with developing complexity and hints of mint and licorice. A classic in the making but still well short of its peak in my opinion. This will be fabulous to follow over the next decade. 95+
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/23/2012 - muchomaas wrote: flawed
Disappointing. Hoping bottle was flawed.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/30/2011 - Jossik wrote: 89 Points
Molto molto avanti, tocchi balsamici e di menta. la bocca è dolce, però affascinante e piena, di un bel tannino fitto e ricco.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/10/2011 - Jossik wrote: flawed
Troppo un po' avanti, troppa liquirizia e terra, ingiudicabile per anzianita. Morta.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/10/2011 - Jossik wrote: 97 Points
colore rosa trasparente, tocco tartufato, naso profondo, poliedrico, su toni di fiori, brodo buono, un filo evoluto, su toni chiari, naso con brodo e buccia d'arancia, bocca più dolce, piena, finale enorme, lunghissimo
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/14/2010 - BigRed1000 wrote: 98 Points
What a great younf Bararesco. Still years away from greatness. Decant for hours ahead beforte drinking right now
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/7/2009 - drwine2001 wrote:
Began as medium red but deepened in the glass. Wow, what an explosive nose! Enough to make you weep with joy. Gorgeous dried cherry, mint, rose, and then secondary high tones and nutmeg-like spice. Ripe fruit of great subtlety and low key sweetness, perfect weight, fantastically caressing finish despite significant tannins still to be resolved. It kept growing, changing, and improving-a gentle, unrelenting crescendo like Ravel's Bolero in a glass. Multidimensional and probably no more than at the midpoint of its development given how it evolved in the decanter. I can only fantasize about how spectacular this might be in another 20 years once it develops its autumnal aromatics atop this fabulous fruit. This "out-Burgundied" a Grand Cru Burgundy tonight and qualifies as the best red wine I've had in some time. What an exclamation point to a weekend of phenomenal wines. A second wave of tears came when I realized that I actually owned this wine at one point and was just too damn impatient to hold onto it.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/15/2009 - Burgundy Al wrote: flawed
Casual dinner with great wine in NY: Thin and disappointing. Not certain if it was damaged, but not like any Giacosa 89 I've tried before.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/15/2007 - Gregory Dal Piaz wrote: 96 Points
A Knight at babbo (New York): Bright deep and lovely. A touch soapy on the nose at first then turning deep and brooding with an intense rich marzipan note that adds roasted plums, sandlewood and very fine tea top notes to the explosive nose. Lush and integrated in the mouth, the tannins drape across the tongue like silk couched in deep ripe fruit up front but the structure slowly crowds out the nuance on the back end and the wines finish shortens and tightens up with air. Still exceptional if in need of 5 years in the cellar.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment