Bruno Giacosa

The traditionalist. This is how Bruno Giacosa was always reverently referred to, because he rejected the vinification of Barbaresco and Barolo in barriques and always vinified his wines in large wooden barrels. Even if the designation was actually a little unfair, because Bruno Giacosa was always open to new methods and kept in close contact with the "modernists" like Angelo Gaja, Elio Altare and the rest of the "Barolo boys". Without him, the meteoric rise of the Piedmont region would hardly have been possible.

At the age of fifteen, he joined his grandfather's business and became a "commerciante", comparable to a négociant éleveur in France. The Giacosas did not own their own vineyards, but bought the grapes of friendly winegrowers and cultivated them. Getting the best out of the grapes has always been his forte. Already at the beginning of the 1960s. "Top wines only from top years" was the credo. That is why in some years there was no Barbaresco or Barolo from him. 1964 was such a top vintage, and Bruno Giacosa was the first to bottle a single-vineyard Barbaresco from the Santa Stefano vineyard in his home municipality of Neive. This was a revolution at the time and caused more discussion than ageing in barriques - and soon found many imitators.

It was not until 1982 that Bruno Giacosa was able to buy his first vineyard, but one of the best, Falletto di Serralunga in the Barolo region. In 1996, a few small plots followed in two other top sites: Asili and Rabajá, which (together with Martinenga) are considered by many experts to be the best crus in Barbaresco.

The rest is wine history. Giacosa's wines need a long time to mature. He called his winemaking "modern traditional", which meant maceration for about a month, compared to often more than 50 days in earlier times. Matured in 5,000 litre barrels, preferring French oak barrels to traditional Slavonian barrels. And he always let the wines mature longer than his colleagues, usually coming to market 2-3 years later.

Those who are impatient and open Giacosa's wines too early usually find them closed and inaccessible. But if you are patient and allow the wines to mature in the cellar, you will enjoy elegant, complex, unique Barolo and Barbaresco. They are then truly an experience to be remembered for a long time.

Already at the beginning of the 2000s, daughter Bruna Giacosa took over the management of the winery, which is actually called Azienda Agricola Falletto, and was also able to win back her father's long-time advisor and companion Dante Scaglione. Thus, even after the death of old master Bruno Giacosa in 2018, the continuity and style of the "modern traditionalist" is assured.

Top Bruno Giacosa vintages are: 1996, 1999, 2001, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2019.


FACTS

Year Founded: 1982
Owner: Family Giacosa
Annual production: approx. 400,000 bottles
Vineyard: approx. 20 hectares
Organic Cultivation