Giacosa & Roagna with Luca Roagna

Chez Goldberg, Greenwich Village, NYC
Tasted Saturday, January 31, 2026 by kenv with 65 views

Introduction

A motley group of old friends and Nebbiolo lovers got together at a private home to drink the wines of my two favorite producers, Bruno Giacosa and Roagna. Our wonderful hosts provided all the food and every course was terrific.

We had two special guests, Luca Rogana and Giampiero Cordero. Luca has been his family's primary winemaker since 2001. Giampiero's family owns Ristorante Il Centro in Priocca, one of the best restaurants in the Lange area. Giampiero's family also runs a boutique hotel called Dimora Cordero. Giampiero also runs Cordero Distribuzione, which imports and distributes fine wine from all over Europe.

Photos and more details can be found on my website.

Flight 1 - Starter (1 Note)

Flight 2 - Flight 2: 1980s Crichët Pajé (3 Notes)

Homemade baguettes with salumi (prosciutto, speck, capicola) and homemade caponata.

Flight 3 - Flight 3: Giacosa Barolo (3 Notes)

Handmade fettuccine with ragu bolognese.

  • 1989 Bruno Giacosa Barolo Villero di Castiglione Falletto 92 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    [Opened at 4pm. Double-decanted at 5pm.] Lots of dark fruit in the nose with some tar and flowers. A hint of oxidation in the finish. This seems noticeably more mature than expected.

    Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No

  • 1999 Bruno Giacosa Barolo Le Rocche del Falletto di Serralunga d'Alba 97 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    [Double-decanted around 5pm.] Nose of sweet black fruit with some tar and violets. Rich and silky in the mouth. Classic 1999. The fruit to tannin ratio here is noticeably higher than other vintages of this wine. Quite typical for 1999, this wine has plenty of power and longevity, but with a silkiness. Kind of reminds me of 1982 Bordeaux in that way. These will live a long time, but drink well throughout their lifetime.

    Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No

  • 2005 Bruno Giacosa Barolo Le Rocche del Falletto di Serralunga d'Alba 93 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    [Double decanted the night before out of logistical necessity.] Stunning nose of dark fruit and balsam. Tannins quite prominent. I hope the fruit holds up. Surprisingly structured for a 2005. 92-94

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

Flight 4 - Flight 4: 1996 Barbaresco (3 Notes)

Widely acclaimed as a great flight!

  • 1996 Roagna Barbaresco Pajè 96 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco

    [Double-decanted around noon.] Big and rich black fruit nose. Stunningly complex and expansive. Loads of rich red fruit. Still quite young, but wow. Terrific. 96-98

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

  • 1996 Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Rabajà 97 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco

    [Double-decanted around noon.] Nose of red fruit and balsam. I'm blown away. This is so expansive, long and complex. This is showing brilliantly tonight. Should drink well for another two decades.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

  • 1996 Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Santo Stefano di Nieve 96 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco

    [ Double-decanted around noon.] Nose of black fruit, balsam, and roses. Another stunning wine in this great flight. Expansive with great structure. Classic iron and fruitcake in this brilliant wine. I love 1996 B&B!

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

Flight 5 - Flight 5: 2002, 2004 Crichët Pajé (2 Notes)

Chicken with mushroom in red wine sauce, string beans

Luca brought both these bottles. Both were great!

  • 2002 Roagna Barbaresco Crichët Pajé 99 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco

    [Pop & pour.] Opulent nose of dark red and black fruit. Silky, complex, expansive. A wow wine! So long and complex. A tour de force in the tough 2002 vintage. The was only Luca's second vintage, but what a huge success. A joy to drink now and for decades to come.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

  • 2004 Roagna Barbaresco Crichët Pajé 98 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco

    [Pop & pour.] Dark, rich, black fruit nose. As expected in this vintage, this is much more backward and tannic than the 2002. A real beast of a wine that needs at least another decade. Hard to judge so young, but this will be truly great one day. 98-100

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

Flight 6 - Flight 6: Two Roagna Barolos (2 Notes)

  • 2005 Roagna Barolo Vigna Rionda 93 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    [Double decanted the night before out of logistical necessity.] Sour cherry nose. Good structure. Lots of sour cherries. A little too much VA for me.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

  • 2016 Roagna Barolo Rocche di Castiglione 97 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    [Pop & pour.] Stunning nose of roses and red fruits. Great wine. Great complexity and length. Quite young, but a joy to drink tonight. Such elegance!

    Post a Comment / 2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No

Closing

We had some painful off bottles, but we still had so many great wines from these two great producers. A joy to share these wines with old friends.

Dessert
Homemade chocolate pavlova with raspberries and homemade coffee pavlova.

×
×