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Barbaresco tends to be slightly finer, less tannic, and more elegant than Barolo, and typically offers greater approachability. These points of difference owe, in part, to the Barbaresco zone's cooler climate and shorter ripening period. It also has a lower alcohol level requirement (12.5% compared to Barolo's 13%) and less stringent aging requirements (Barbaresco ages for a minimum of two years with at least one in barrel, while Barolo ages for at least three years with a minimum of two in barrel).
- Country: Italy
- Region: Piemonte
- Subregion: Barbaresco
- Vineyard: Santo Stefano di Neive
A profound passion for Piemontese wine handed down for three generations…Bruno Giacosa, a man of few words but eloquent talent, practices an extremely simple philosophy based on the respect of traditions both in the vineyard and in the cellar. Giacosa brings out a richness of flavor and an intensity of character to produce wines of meditation. In addition to Bartolo Mascarello, Giacomo Conterno, and Aldo Conterno the Giacosa estate is the most respected producer of traditional style Barolo.
Giacosa is not an enologist, which surprises most people. He learned by working with his father and grandfather and became fascinated by what could be created from the grape. Bruno feels that wines were better in the past, when there was less sophistication and treatment made to both grapes and wine, less handling. The yields were smaller as well. In the old days, he points out, things were done more simply and with more care.
Until recently Giacosa owned no vineyards; he bought all the grapes he required, selecting, as he still does, from some of the area’s best sites. In 1982, he bought the Falletto vineyard in Serralunga. Giacosa firmly believes in the value of single-vineyard bottlings. Crus are only bottled in the better vintages, and if a wine does not attain a very high standard, he either declassifies it, selling the wine as a simple nebbiolo, or he does not bottle it at all. That said, the high hill country positioning—400 metres above sea level—the propitious south/southwest sun exposure, and the peculiar microclimate of the amphitheatre-like vineyards assure a remarkable location for vines. Given the combination of all of these elements, Bruno Giacosa understandably produces an extensive range of high-profile bottles.
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