2023 Bruno Giacosa, Dolcetto d’Alba, Piemonte, Italy.
The lovely, pure and deep purple/garnet 2023 Bruno Giacosa Dolcetto d’Alba is nicely aromatic, bright in fruit intensity with a layering of blackberry, plum, black cherry and tangy currant fruits, along with snappy herbs, spices, including cinnamon and allspice, anise and delicate stony loam. Perfect with rustic meaty dishes, this Giacosa Dolcetto has just the right amount of raw tannin, a lifting sense of acidity and a medium bodied palate that will be delicious with classic sausage and pasta dishes. Somethings are best kept simple, as Dolcetto thrives without being over done and Giacosa employs a fermentation, maceration, lasting about 8 days, and aging in stainless steel vats. The malolactic fermentation and maturing occurs also in the stainless vat, typically about just 6 months, plus another month of resting in the bottle before release. The grapes, coming from vines set on clay, marl and sand, with vineyards in the various villages of Neive, Neviglie, Treiso and Alba, with mainly ripe exposures, facing south and east, proving the quality seen here. Giacosa, a historic Piemonte label, famous for collectable Barolo and Barbaresco, is always a bottle that stands out and I am Dolcetto fan, so I was completely thrilled to try this vintage and highly recommend it.
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, Barbera, Dolcetto, as seen here, 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 Giacosa name on a bottle of Barolo or Barbaresco denotes both the highest quality and true vineyard expression, as I’ve said before, that I myself think of Giacosa in the same way as I do with the likes of the Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé in Burgundy, with their Barolo and Barbaresco comparing well with Vogüé’s Musigny and Bonnes Mares Grand Cru! I consider myself lucky to have tasted with Bruna at a tasting in San Francisco, and enjoyed the Tre Bicchieri (winning) 2004 Riserva Santo Stefano, it was an experience I won’t forget. While the Barolo and Barbaresco offerings here are some of Italy’s best and most expensive rarities, the Arneis, Barbera and Dolcetto remain sold values.
($36 Est.) 92 Points, grapelive