Torbreck - Château Cantenac Brown - Bruno Giacosa
As a true perfectionist, Bruno Giacosa never puts his name to a bottle of wine he isn’t proud of; a guiding principle he has remained faithful to over the years. An announcement in 2013 reinforced this commitment to top quality winemaking when it was decided that his 2010 top bottlings of Barolo wines were not good enough to release. Also producing wines from sections of the prized Asili and Rabajá vineyards in Barbaresco under contract for nearly 30 years these were finally bought by Giacosa in 1996. Being outstanding plots to cultivate the Nebbiolo grape, the fastidious approach taken by him, and now his daughter, Bruna have led to the production of Barbaresco wines with legendary status today. The Barbaresco Asili is a 5.5 ha site occupying a prime site high in the Piemonte hills. Black fruit and classic high tannins provide the perfect framework for a long lived wine that is true to the traditions of Barbaresco. Long and impressive are the words most often used by critics in assessing this wine. Barbaresco Rabajá is more perfumed in contrast. Sweet fruit with ripe tannins also make it approachable young but older vintages confirm its ageability too. A treat whether devoured in its youth or maturity. Bruno Giacosa still sources fruit from a selection of leased vineyards managed by the estate to make a number of other wines including the Nebbiolo D’Alba Valmaggiore and Barbera D’Alba. These are bottled under his Casa Vinicola Bruno Giacosa label representing solid examples of their style with an excellent quality price ratio.
