Barbaresco ’Rabaja’ - Nebbiolo (17) B.Giacosa

Nebbiolo | cru 'Rabajà' | 0,6 ha | 25 jaar oude stokken | bodem kalkrijke klei | 20 dagen vergist in staaltank | 20 maanden gerijpt in botti | 17 maanden rijping in fles | grote wijn | karafferen | cru met meer structuur en potentie

Bruno Giacosa

Bruno Giacosa’s vinification technique has been termed “updated traditional”:
Nebbiolo grapes, for example, are picked earlier, at optimum ripeness determined by
a combination of scientific analysis and hands-on experience. The grapes are
macerated for closer to 30 days than the time-honoured 50. This timing still taps into
the power and depth of Nebbiolo but produces wines with more finesse. In
maturation, Giacosa has not been tempted towards the fashionable use of small,
225l French barriques, instead staying with huge 5,000l Slovenian and French oak
botte, many of them 25 years old

Known as the Genius of Neive, Bruno Giacosa’s mastery of the Nebbiolo grape is
recognised in Piedmont and the wider world of wine alike - although the organisation
produces more than just Barolo and Barbaresco. Bruno Giacosa sadly passed away in
January 2018. But having suffered a stroke in 2006, it is his daughter Bruna, who has
been driving this great wine estate forward in recent years, supported by her sister
Marina. And, having worked at Neive for 16 years until 2008, oenologist Dante
Scaglione returned in 2011 as a consultant.

The family name was first established in the Langhe in 1871 by Bruno Giacosa’s
grandfather Carlo Giacosa - as a commerciante di vini, building a network of
excellent local growers and vinifying their grapes at the winery in Neive, near Alba.
After World War II, the 15-year-old Bruno joined his father Mario in the family
business. The prestigious Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Asili and Rabajà are neighbours but have
different soils and clearly definable characteristics: the former has unmatched
elegance and delicacy, while the latter is full-bodied and rich.

Review

The Bruno Giacosa 2017 Barbaresco Rabajà is a fine and delicate wine that throws a curveball at our expectations of this notoriously hot and dry vintage. The wine is exceedingly generous when it comes to its fruit, especially its blackcurrant and plum, but what steals the show is that elegant mineral note that so seamlessly cedes to spice, licorice and cinnamon. Rabajà is one of the most distinctive growing sites in Barbaresco, thanks to its white stony soils that leave such a strong imprint on its wines. The wine is remarkable for its nicely linear and delicate style, but it ultimately proves its power and determination on the palate over many long minutes. 95/100 Monica Larner

Perhaps no Nebbiolista looms larger in the sister appellations of Barolo and Barbaresco than Bruno Giacosa. This legendary winemaker had an insane, deeply intuitive and intellectual ability to recognize the best growing sites for the Nebbiolo grape. His intimate familiarity with the rolling landscape and sun-kissed hilltops of the Langhe ushered in a new chapter for Italy’s most prestigious wine denominations. Wine lovers now identify the best Nebbiolo-based wines according to vineyard cru, or MGA (Menzione Geografica Aggiuntiva). Our ability to appreciate the finest nuances and differences within a complicated patchwork of grapevines and trellises is a direct consequence of the Giacosa school. Bruno Giacosa passed away on January 21, 2018, after a long bout with illness following a stroke in 2006. He was 88. His daughter Bruna Giacosa runs the winery today. I interviewed Robert M. Parker Jr. a few days after Giacosa’s death, to write his obituary: "His contributions to Italian wine and his beloved Piedmont are beyond measure," said Parker. "I am honored to have met him, shared his wines, and remain in naked awe of what he achieved. It wouldn't surprise me if God were learning the glories of Nebbiolo from the Master." With the exception of last year (because of the COVID-19 lockdowns), I have tasted with Bruna Giacosa every year since I started working with Robert Parker Wine Advocate. During my visit this past summer, I was able to review the Bruno Giacosa 2020 Roero Arneis, both the 2016 and 2017 Barbaresco Rabajà, the 2016 Barbaresco Riserva Asili (red label), the 2016 Barolo Falletto and the stunning 2016 Barolo Falletto Vigna Le Rocche. You will find my notes for those wines in this report.