For decades, Giacosa was content to buy his grapes only in the greatest vintages, but he has begun acquiring small parcels of some of Piedmont's top vineyards. He now owns a portion of the Asili vineyard in Barbaresco, and recently purchased part of the Falletto vineyard in Barolo. The 1993 Barolo Faletto is the first wine made from his estate-grown vines. The wine exhibits a deep garnet color with some amber at the edge. A provocative, complex, compelling nose of dried fruits, cedar, spice, and roasted meat and herbs is followed by a deep, rich, outstandingly-concentrated wine with bold, robust, deep flavors that exhibit abundant glycerin, as well as notes of white chocolate, figs, fruitcake, and sweet red and black fruits. This smoky, rich, nuance-filled, luscious, full-bodied Barolo should drink well for the next 10-12 years.
A Leonardo Lo Cascio Selection, Winebow, Hohokus, NJ; tel. (201) 445-0620