November 9, 2016 - Giacosa/ Gaja 1990s Comparison and Dinner (Ballaro - Highwood IL): Fully mature and ripe apple with good power and length. Would have been better 3-5 years ago.
November 9, 2016 - Gaja / Giacosa Dinner (Ballaro, Highwood, IL): Nose here is full and powerful though simple and non-delineated. Palate is a bit flat as the spritz is losing intensity. Ripe and round, with just enough acid to keep it from being flabby. At the tail end of its serviceable drinking window.
February 13, 2014 - Confraria - Restaurante Italy - São Paulo: Very good. Tasty. Full of fruit.
December 19, 2008 - Clear with a medium mousse. Dry and assringent with little fruitor yeastiness. The equivalent of a low to medium quality NV Champagne. A bit dissappointing given the repute of the producer. I will wait another five years to see if this settles down and smooths out.
June 28, 2008 - (Alana's) Nice. Did really well w/ a roasted tomatillo gazpacho and buster crab, but a solid body with some unbashed (but mild) sweetness made this work very well as a general aperitif. Nice fruit notes in there too.
June 18, 2008 - Peach and some yeast. Pleasant, but I think I can do better for the price.
September 20, 2007 - The nose is rather muted, with some citrus peel and a touch of funk. Pleasant stone fruits and citric notes on the palate, some mild yeast flavors, plus an odd metallic flavor. Nearly dry, almost austere, seems acceptable for Brut. The acidity is pretty good but the wine lacks power and sort of fades away on the midpalate and finish. Pleasant enough but disappointing for the cost. To be fair, 2003 probably wasn't a great vintage for making sparklers in much of Europe. Even if this is a multivintage blend (as Jon Rimmerman reports) it can be assumed that the majority of the material is from 2003.
September 3, 2007 - Good, but disappointing given the Garagiste hype.
This is very pale and very. very dry. (Sorry Winetex, but you must've tasted something different?)
Not too much happening on the nose, and not much on the palate at first, although as it warmed up from fridge temperature there was a floral tone and slight bit of fruit on the palate. I'm not a big extra brut fan and need to remember that before ordering next time :)
Garagiste's description (quoting RP):
This version has not been reviewed yet but here is Parker's verbiage on the 2000 bottled, which is quite similar if not slightly less masculine: "One of the best kept secrets in Italian wine is the Champagne-style sparkling wine which Giacosa makes from Pinot Noir grapes purchased in the nearby Oltrepo Pavese. The 2000 Spumante Extra Brut, a blanc de noirs, yeasty and floral with an important aromatic impact, is an impeccable sparkler, substantial, vibrant, long, and perfectly balanced. It rivals the finest offerings from Franciacorta such as Bellavista and Ca' del Bosco. Anticipated maturity: now-2008. 90pts"
May 9, 2007 - Winery Visit and Tasting - Bruno Giacosa (Neive, Piedmont, Italy): Tasted at the winery from magnum; Over 13.5% alcohol; 3 grams of residual sugar/litre. Very pale in color with medium bubbles and very sweet with a sort of sparkling lemon flavor. Quite pleasant but too sweet for my tastes. It did not have a Pinot flavor profile. €10 suggested retail.