The nose is awash with dark cherries, rose petals and dried flowers. The palate exhibits silken texture, bright acidity and velvety but persistent tannins. An epic wine with a long life ahead.
Reviews:
- Wine Advocate: The 2012 Barolo Riserva Falletto Vigna Le Rocche (red label) was bottled last September and has already eased into a comfortable and promising stage in its very early evolution. Bruna Giacosa tells me that this wine will be made in 2014 and 2016, so future supplies are plentiful. The jury is out on whether the wine will be produced in 2015, but Bruna tells me it is unlikely (albeit by no means confirmed at this point). Fruit selection was extreme in 2012. This is a warm vintage expression, and the wine is beautifully rich and velvety as a result. That textural richness is what stands out most. The primary fruit is bold and very well defined. There is a point of dark cherry ripeness, but it adds to the generous fiber and softness of the mouthfeel. Of the many beautiful vintages I have tasted of this wine, I suspect the 2012 might be faster in its evolution.
- James Suckling: A rich and decadent Barolo with dark berry, meat and hints of chocolate and spice. Full body, layered and dense with some leather and walnut underlying the ripe fruit. Drink in 2020 but already beautiful.
Producer Information
Bruno Giacosa is a famous wine producer based in Piedmont, Italy. It is particularly known for its intensely perfumed, textured wines from the Barolo and Barbaresco appellations, made from the Nebbiolo grape variety. Giacosa himself famously began in the wine trade buying grapes for his father’s wines at the age of 15. By 1960, he was ready to begin his own business and soon became one of Barbaresco’s principal producers, along with Gaja and the Produttori del Barbaresco cooperative. In 1964, Giacosa was the first producer in Piemonte to bottle a single vineyard “cru” from the Santo Stefano vineyard. Giacosa’s standards remained high throughout the 2000s: the 2006 and 2010 wines were sold off in bulk as they were not seen as being up to standard, even though most producers did not regard these as poor years. Accordingly, Bruno Giacosa wines are among the most expensive of their kind. Many of Bruno Giacosa’s wines come from trusted growers, rather than estate vineyards. However, in 1982, the house purchased the Falletto vineyard in Serralunga d’Alba and a winery was built. That was followed by plots in La Morra, and in parts of Barbaresco. The vineyard holdings now total 20 hectares (50 acres), and wines made from these vineyards are labeled ‘Azienda Agricola Falletto’. Giacosa’s wines are aged in traditional 5000l botti, though these are now made of French rather than the traditional Slovenian oak. In exceptional years, wines may be released as Riservas which are given a red label.
