Bruno Giacosa
Bruno Giacosa's commitment to single vineyard sites proved a revelation in Piedmont.
(Image credit: Clay McLachlan)

I never got to know Bruno Giacosa well, despite visiting him at the winery....

A serious stroke in 2006, from which he has now largely recovered, put Bruno Giacosa out of action for a while, and there were changes of personnel at the winery.

The range of wines is extensive: Barbaresco from various sites, mostly in Neive, and Barolo mostly from Serralunga, but also from La Morra.

View all of Decanter’s Bruno Giacosa tasting notes

The winemaking is traditional, and although quality is consistent across the board, the great wines at the heart of the range are the collection of red-label riservas.

For some producers, riserva means more weight, concentration and power. Not here, where the wines retain their lightness of touch and finesse, only magnified.

They are harmonious and complete, with wonderful depth of flavour. It sometimes seems as though the wines flowed from the vineyard into the bottle without human intervention.

Stephen Brook
Stephen Brook

Stephen Brook has been a contributing editor to Decanter since 1996 and has won a clutch of awards for his writing on wine. The author of more than 30 books, his works include Complete Bordeaux, now the definitive study of the region and in its third edition, and The Wines of California, which won three awards. His most recently published book is The Wines of Austria. Brook also fully revised the last two editions of Hugh Johnson’s Wine Companion, and he writes for magazines in many countries.