2000 Giacosa, Barbaresco, Santo Stefano (RT96) This bottle was acquired on release and stored in my cellar since. Slowed O’d for a few hours, then served sans decanting with precise pours directly from the bottle and followed over the course of a few days. It was tightly wound on day one but unfurled its magic over the course of the next two days. Deep garnet in hue, it blossoms in the glass with a core of red cherry liqueur, spiced plum compote, Christmas cake spice, dried herbs and layer upon layer of minerality and limestone dust. At age 24+ the tertiary notes have taken firm hold. The mouthfeel remains firm with a slight dominance of acidity over fruit, the tannins perfectly ripe, yet remaining steady and omnipresent on the finish. The finish is impressive, following a long and winding road. Giacosa and his team crafted an amazing lineup in the generally hot 2000 vintage and while this is not my fave among his 2000 Barbarescos (I lean more toward the Asili Riserva and Rabajà) it is none the less an impressive bottling that holds a long and brilliant future of prime drinking ahead. The 2000 goes down in the lineage of Santo Stefano greatness. Enjoy now-2045+ Tasted April 2025.
The legendary producer of both Barolo and Barbaresco, Bruno Giacosa, who passed in 2018, built an unparalleled vinous dynasty over his time and left monstrous expectations for his daughter Bruna to follow. With the assistance of Dante Scaglione – his head enologist in his later years and who works alongside Bruna today – Bruno crafted numerous ultra-classic vintages from the Santo Stefano plot in what is now known as the Albesani Cru. In many vintages the wines were bottled as a Riserva, and in the early days as a Riserva Speciale. These bottlings contributed significantly to the legendary reputation of Giacosa, who some consider the greatest winemaker to every come out of Italy.
The 2000 was crafted by Bruno at the peak of his winemaking prowess and is truly impressive for a non-Riserva, classico bottling. Giacosa leased his Santo Stefano plots from the Stupino family, who also produce a bottling labeled Santo Stefano under their winery known as Castello dei Nieve. The first vintage for this wine goes back to 1964, when both Castello dei Nieve and Giacosa produced a Santo Stefano bottling. However, Giacosa’s 1964 was released as a “Riserva Speciale Cru Santo Stefano di Neive d’Alba”. It was an opening act that set the stage for the profound greatness that followed. While the 2000 doesn’t reach the soaring heights of his Riserva bottlings, it is, none the less, a benchmark bottling crafted by the master himself. The last vintage for his Santo Stefano was 2011, after which the Stupino family ended their lease with Giacosa.
The grapes for this wine were hand harvested from the central, best plots of the southwest facing slopes of the Albesani Cru. They were gently pressed and slowly macerated, followed by a two-to-three-week fermentation in stainless steel at moderate temperatures. The wine was then aged for 36-42 months in untoasted French oak botti, which Giacosa has employed for decades. After bottling it was stored in the winery for one year. Even with the inner secrets of his winemaking techniques exposed, there is something unexplained and magical about his wines that only Bruno, his daughter Bruna, and Dante likely know. Behold the mystique of Bruno Giacosa’s wines!
