2023 Bruno Giacosa, Roero Arneis DOCG, Piemonte, Italy.
The bright golden/straw hued Giacosa Arneis is a tasty dry Piemonte white that shines for its charming nature and lively acidity with this 2023 showing tangy lemon/lime, crisp melon, quince and tart peach fruits, along with bitter almond, crushed stones, mouth watering saline, delicate orange blossom and a wisp of white anise. This rounded framed, mineral fresh, and medium bodied Roero Arneis is a quintessential version of this varietal, which almost went extinct before Giacosa and Vietti brought it back into the limelight about a quart of a century ago. It’s noted that Arneis, which doesn’t like heavy clay soils, needs small yields, and more limestone, sand and pebbles to really shine and the Roero zone provides that, which is why it has achieved its DOCG status now. For their Arneis, Giacosa does exclusively stainless steel fermentation and aging with no malo-lactic conversion and just about 4 months in vat before bottling to keep absolute clarity of form and transparent details. This wine, nicely ripe at 13.5%, comes from multiple plots in Roero’s collection of small villages and crus and sourced from vines ranging in age from 25 to 35 years old, which adds to the depth, balance and complexity in this stylish effort.
The late Bruno Giacosa, one of Italy’s greatest ever producers, as mentioned in my prior reviews, was an Italian wine hero who was from the village Neive in the Langhe region, most famous for his Nebbiolo(s) and more so for Barolo especially. This days his daughter Bruna, who has taken over, produces a number of coveted Barbaresco and Barolo wines, as well as bottlings of Arneis, as seen here, Barbera, Dolcetto, also a killer value, and even a sparkling wine. The Nebbiolo efforts all lead up to the legendary Rocche del Falletto Barolo and the equally famous Santo Stefano(s) Barbaresco. Bruna, working with his longtime enologist and protegé, Dante Scaglione, has continued her father’s tradition of excellence and it is always a pleasure to taste these Giacosa wines. The winery notes that Roero was hit with a July hailstorm and the yields were tiny, especially for this Arneis, so there wasn’t much to be had, but as always, Giacosa succeeded in making a quality effort as seen here, and the Arneis, that goes nicely with fleshy fish and or soft cheese, is ultra consistent from vintage to vintage in my experience. Because my bank account doesn’t allow for me to enjoy the elite Barolo offerings here, I have to admire the Giacosa wines through these varietal bottlings, which I enjoy, in particular with food, and recommend often.
($36 Est.) 90 Points, grapelive