Wine Legend Blog

I hope you read about the Legandary Wine Maker Bruno Giacosa, here are his wines:

Bruno Giacosa Barberesco Asili DOCG
Rated 93 pts by Wine Advocate – August 2005 (Vintage 2001)
“…complex in aroma with notes of resin, smoke, and anisette to accompany the fruit, and a long, forceful, structured palate, rather muscular for a wine of this cru.”

Tasting Notes : Made from 100% Nebbiolo from the prestigious Asili vineyard. Yields are extremely low at 1.2 tons per acre. After fermentation, the wine was aged in French oak for 26 months followed by several more months in bottle. Black cherry, chocolate and cedar dominate the nose. The wine is big, thick, elegant, ripe and fragrant with juicy acidity that is backed up by several layers of rich fruit.

Barberesco Asili DOCG 1998 (750 ml) Price: $132.99 Sale Price: $106.39
Barberesco Asili DOCG 1998 (1.5 Lt) Price: $279.99 Sale Price: $223.99
Barberesco Asili DOCG 1999 (750 ml) Price: $139.99 Sale Price: $111.99
Barberesco Asili DOCG 2001 (750 ml) Price: $184.99 Sale Price: $147.99
Barberesco Asili DOCG 2003 (750 ml) Price: $184.99 Sale Price: $147.99
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Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco DOCG
Rated 93 pts by Wine & Spirits – December 2004 (Vintage 1999)
“…[Appealing] plum, blackberry and cedar character… Full-bodied, with fine, velvety tannins and a long, rich finish. A gorgeous, pretty wine.”

Tasting Notes: Made from 100% Nebbiolo from various vineyards in Barbaresco. The wine was aged in large French oak barrels for 24 months. It was bottled unfiltered and cellared for several more months prior to release from the winery. This Barbaresco exhibits intense ruby red colors that fade to orange toward the rim. Black cherry, chocolate and cedar dominate the nose. The wine is bold and fragrant with several layers of rich fruit complemented with a touch of licorice on the palate.

Barbaresco DOCG 1998 (750 ml) Price: $89.99 Sale Price: $71.99
Barbaresco DOCG 1999 (750 ml) Price: $79.99 Sale Price: $63.99
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Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Santo Stefano DOCG
Tasting Notes: Made from 100% Nebbiolo, the wine is aged 2 years in oak followed by an additional 12 months in bottle prior to release from the winery. It has a rich nose reminiscent of ripe currants and a rich velvety mouth-feel that is ripe and fragrant. Perfect acidity balances the wine. This is a substantial wine with ripe and harmonious tannins. Recommended with roasted and grilled red and white meats. Always delicious with cheese.

Barbaresco Santo Stefano DOCG 1999 (750 ml) Price: $149.99 Sale Price: $119.99
Barbaresco Santo Stefano DOCG 2001 (750 ml) Price: $149.99 Sale Price: $119.99
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Bruno Giacosa Barbera D’alba Doc
Tasting Notes: Made from 100% Barbera d’Alba. The wine was aged in large French oak barrels for 11 months, then fined and filtered prior to bottling. This dry, well-balanced wine recalls spicy flavors of cedar. The wine is ripe and round on the palate with a remarkably long finish.

Barbera D’Alba DOC 2005 (750 ml) Price: $30.99 Sale Price: $24.79
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Bruno Giacosa Barbera D’Alba Falletto (Wine info not in the attached sheet)

Barbera D’Alba Falletto 2005 (750 ml) Price: $69.99 Sale Price: $55.99
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Bruno Giacosa Barolo DOCG
Rated 92 pts by Wine Spectator – October 2005 (Vintage 2001)
“…[Appealing] plum, blackberry and cedar character… Full-bodied, with fine, velvety tannins and a long, rich finish. A gorgeous, pretty wine.”

Tasting Notes: Made from 100% Nebbiolo harvested from the Falletto zone in Serralunga d’Alba. Aged in large, 4-10 year old French oak barrels for a minimum of 3 years. The resulting wine is garnet colored with orange reflections, and spicy aromas of dried fruit flavors are present on the palate. A wine with great aging potential.

Barolo DOCG 2001 (750 ml) Price: $123.99 Sale Price: $99.19
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Bruno Giacosa Barolo Falletto DOCG
Rated 93-96 pts by International Wine Cellar – Nov/Dec 2004 (Vintage 2001)
“Good full red. Wonderfully scented nose of red berry syrup, rose petal and minerals. Dense, lush and seamless, but with racy, fresh fruit and compelling inner-mouth perfume. Solidly structured, layered and very deep, with a palate-staining, perfumed aftertaste. A great Barolo in the making. Likely to be long-lived…”

Tasting Notes: Especially impressive for firm but elegant tannins. This Barolo is rich in raspberry, leather and anise aromas. Very refined and balanced with abundant flavors of chocolate and tobacco. Big!
Recommended with beef dishes (especially those with a Barolo based sauce) some game and smoked cheeses.

Barolo Falletto DOCG 2001 (750 ml) Price: $174.99 Sale Price: $139.99
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Bruno Giacosa Barolo Le Rocche Del Falletto Docg
Rated 96 pts by Wine Advocate – October 2003 (Vintage 1999)
“Full-throttle…rivals the legendary 1996 Barolo Falletto Riserva”
“Darker and deeper in color, even more potent and penetrating on the nose, explosive on the palate with a medley of sweet fruit, licorice, mint, chocolate, and tar… tightly wound but oh so sumptuous and rich on the finish and aftertaste…”

Tasting Notes: Made from 100% Nebbiolo selected from 4 parcels of the prestigious Falletto vineyard. Aged in large barrels for 30 months, this is a stunning example of Barolo’s potential. Its perfume is intense and elegant and reminiscent of black truffles, sweet tobacco, spices and chocolate. On the palate it is full, warm and extraordinarily velvety, with lively character and personality.

Barolo Le Rocche Del Falletto Docg 2003 (750 ml) Price: $299.99 Sale Price: $239.99
Barolo Le Rocche Del Falletto Docg 2003 (1.5 Lt ) Price: $619.99 Sale Price: $495.99
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Bruno Giacosa Reserva – Red Label
Rated 97 pts by Wine advocate – (Vintage 2001)

Tasting Notes: The Riserva wine is produced only in the best vintages. For 30 months the wine was refined in French oak barrels, followed by three years of bottle aging. Barolo Le Rocche del Falletto presents a typical color with orange reflections. The perfumes are elegant with notes of mature mulberry, licorice and cocoa. The flavor is full and warm, with soft tannins and great structure. A big and impressive wine, it is best served with aged cheeses, roasted meat and game.
Barolo Le Rocche Del Faletto Reserva – Red Label 2000 (1.5 lts)
Price: $659.99 Sale Price: $527.99
Barolo Le Rocche Del Faletto Reserva – Red Label 2001 (750 ml)
Price: $319.99 Sale Price: $255.99
Barolo Le Rocche Del Faletto Reserva – Red Label 2001 (1.5 Lt)
Price: $699.99 Sale Price: $559.99
Barolo Le Rocche Del Faletto Reserva – Red Label 2001 (3 Lt)
Price: $1,319.99 Sale Price: $1,055.99
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Bruno Giacosa Roero Arneis Doc & Sparkling
Rated 93 pts by Wine Advocate – June 2006 (Vintage 2005) BEST BUY
“This offering is slightly above the $20 price required to be considered a “best buy,” but it is such a superb example of Arneis, I had to include it….It possesses remarkable intensity and richness as well as superb purity, wonderful freshness, a gorgeous, persistent texture, and flowery, honeysuckle, white peach, pear, and apple liqueur-like aromas and flavors. One of the most glorious dry whites made in Italy.”

Tasting Notes: Made from 100% Arneis that was vinified in stainless steel. The wine remained in stainless steel tanks for 3 months before bottling. The nose reveals subtle perfumes of apples, pears and peaches. “Arneis” means
difficult or stubborn, which is an apt characteristic of this varietal as its delicate skin makes it a difficult grape to grow well. This is a very refreshing white recommended with a wide variety of foods, especially antipasti and pasta dishes.

Bruno Giacosa Roero Arneis Docg 2006 (750 ml) Price: $27.99 Sale Price: $22.39
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Bruno Giacosa Spumante Brut

Tasting Notes: Made from 100% Pinot Nero grown in the Oltrepo Pavese. The riddling of the bottles was done by hand and the bottles were aged for 24-30 months before being degorged. The finished wine is straw yellow in color with a fine and persistent perlage. The bouquet is refined and elegant with aromas of fruit and yeast. On the palate this sparkling wine is dry and lively with excellent character.

Bruno Giacosa Spumante Brut 2003 (750 ml) Price: $41.99 Sale Price: $33.59
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Bruno Giacosa Nebbiolo D’Alba DOC
Rated 88 pts by Wine & Spirits – December 2005 (Vintage 2003)
“A lively young Nebbiolo, this is fragrant with rose and fresh grape scents. A touch of tar in the tannins gives it the light stucture of a bistro red, for steak frites, Italian-style.”

Tasting Notes: Made from 100% Nebbiolo. Aged in large French casks for 14 months. Ruby red in color with violet and raspberry aromas on the nose. It has a very impressive mouth-feel with well balanced tannins that are firm yet not aggressive.

Nebbiolo D’Alba DOC 2005 (750 ml) Price: $33.99 Sale Price: $27.19
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Bruno Giacosa Dolcetto D’alba Doc
Tasting Notes: Made from 100% Dolcetto whose name translates as “little sweet one” due to the sweetness of the grape at harvest. However, it is usually vinified as a dry wine with minimal residual sugar. Giacosa’s Dolcetto was aged for 8 months after the harvest, two of which were spent in wood. The wine has deep purple colors and a perfumed nose that highlights the fruity characteristics of the grape. The wine is full of rich, ripe fruit flavor through to the spicy finish.

Dolcetto D’Alba DOC 2006 (750 ml) Price: $21.99 Sale Price: $17.59
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Bruno Giacosa Dolcetto D’alba Falletto Doc

Tasting Notes: Made from 100% Dolcetto, the wine is aged for 9 months in large oak barrels. Dolcetto translates to “little sweet one” due to the sweetness of the grape in spite of the fact that it is usually vinified as a dry wine with minimal residual sugar. Deep purple in color with a wonderfully perfumed nose. Full of rich, ripe, fruit flavor and a lingering spicy finish. This wine is meant to be consumed fairly young before the fruit fades.

Dolcetto D’alba Falletto Doc 2006 (750 ml) Price: $24.99 Sale Price: $19.99
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I Hope You Will Enjoy These Wines.

“Bruno Giacosa…is a quiet and
dignified winemaking genius in Neive…
the least promotion-conscious
winemaker in Italy who prefers to
let his wines do the talking for him.”
— Robert M. Parker Jr.

The Giacosa family has been making wine in the Langhe region of Piedmont for three generations. Bruno Giacosa credits his winery’s success to his respect for traditional winemaking methods which enhance the characteristics of Piedmont’s varietals.

The Giacosa property covers 37 acres that are entirely cultivated to vines. The altitude of the estate, its ideal exposure (south/south-west), and the microclimate combine to create optimal winegrowing conditions. Giacosa makes wine not only with grapes from his property but also with grapes purchased from growers he has known for 30 years and trusts completely. In fact, he made his reputation as an outstanding selector of fruit.

In the vineyard, yields are kept intentionally low (less than 2.5 tons per acre) to concentrate the flavors in the fruit. The winemaking methods employed are scrupulous and traditional without ignoring the benefits of modern techniques.

About Bruno Giacosa

Bruno Giacosa was born in Neive in 1929. At the age of 13, he started to work for his father at the family’s winery and at the age of 20, he took over the family business with much passion and love.
A visionary pioneer, Giacosa was the first to produce the famous Roero Arneis which received official DOC status in 1985. In his continuous quest for something new and stimulating, he began production of Extra Brut Spumante, made from 100% pinot noir, regarded as the best spumante in Italy.
Although he identifies himself as a traditionalist, he does not ignore the continuing evolution of the winemaking field. He has adopted a number of modern techniques that have further enhanced the quality of his wines while maintaining their unique character.

One of his daughters, Bruna, is a significant presence in the family winery. Born in Alba, she got involved in the winery at a very young age with the same passion and enthusiasm for the wine as her father. Today, Giacosa is successfully managed by both Bruno and Bruna, with Bruna focusing her expertise on local and international marketing and public relations efforts.

Part 2 – An Italian Legend Bruno Giacosa and his Wines