The Other Wines of Bruno Giacosa
Wines made by Bruno Giacosa other than Barolo and Barbaresco.
If you have photos of any wines not shown here (or better photos than shown here)
please send them.
Note that wines listed below without a link exist (according to the winery), but I don't have
any photos. If you do, please send them.
"EB" stands for Estate Bottled. After 1996, we know that a wine is EB if it says
"Azienda Agricola Falletto di Bruno Giacosa" at the bottom of the label and we
know that it is not if it says "Casa Vinicola Bruno Giacosa". Before 1996,
they all say "Casa Vinicola Bruno Giacosa", so we only know it is EB if it
comes from a vinyard that we know they owned at that time.
Wines Listed Here:
Arneis
- Roero Arneis.
This wine is made from grapes purchased in the Roero area, specifically vineyards in the
villages of Vezza d’Alba, Monteu Roero, Santo Stefano Roero, Canale, and Montà d’Alba.
(Roero is just north of Alba. The Tanaro River separates it from the Langhe.)
Bruno Giacosa, along with Alfredo Currado of Vietti, pioneered the development of Arneis.
When Alfredo Currado first started making an Arneis in 1967, there were only about 4,000 vines
of Arneis left in the world. There are now 600-700 hectares of Arneis in the Roero.
During the 1970s, only Vietti and Giacosa made Arneis as a single-variety wine.
The 1974 below may well be the first Giacosa Arneis sold, though I've read that he
made Arneis as early as 1970.
If you have any photos of pre-1989 Giacosa Arneis, please send it to me.
- 1974 Arneis.
This may be from a single commune like the
1981 Arneis di Monteu Roero below, but the only photo I have is of such low resolution,
that I cannot tell what it says under "Arneis".
- 1976 Arneis dei Roeri.
- 1980 Arneis Bianco Secco VdT.
- 1981 Arneis Bianco Secco VdT.
- 1982 Arneis Bianco Secco VdT.
- 1983 Arneis Bianco Secco VdT.
- 1983 Arneis Cavalieri. According to the website of the
Ordine dei Cavalieri del Tartufo e dei Vini d'Alba,
Bruno Giacosa bottled a 1983 Arneis under their label.
If you have a photo, please send it.
- 1986 Arneis Bianco Secco VdT.
- 1987 Arneis Bianco Secco VdT.
- 1988 Arneis Bianco Secco VdT.
- 1991 Arneis Bianco Secco VdT.
1989 is the first year that Roero Arneis is a DOC.
2005 is the first year that Roero Arneis received DOCG status.
- Arneis di Monteu Roero.
Monteu Roero is a comune on the western edge of the Roero region about 25 km (15 miles) north of Barolo.
It borders Canale, Santo Stefano Roero, and Vezza d'Alba.
This 1981 is the only example of this wine I have found.
Please let me know if you find others.
Barbera
- Non-Single-Vineyard Barbera d'Alba.
If you know of any other vintages of this wine, please let me know.
- Single-Vineyard Barbera d'Alba from the Albesani vineyard in Neive.
Albesani is a large vineyard in the Barbaresco town of Neive.
It contains the vineyard known as Santo Stefano where Giacosa
made some of his most famous Barbarescos.
This is the only Barbera I have seen from this vineyard.
If you have a photo of any other vintage, please send it.
Giacosa did make Barbaresco Albesani di Neive in
1971.
If you know of any other vintages of this wine, please let me know.
- Single-Vineyard Barbera d'Alba from Altavilla near Alba.
Altavilla is a vineyard and a hamlet about 4 km east of the center of Alba.
The winery tells me they also made this Barbera from Altavilla d'Alba in
1980, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, and 1990.
If you have a photo of any of these, please send it.
A source told me that they bought these grapes from a family also named Giacosa,
but no relation to Bruno.
If you know of any other vintages of this wine, please let me know.
- Barbera d'Asti from Colle dell'Annunziata in Costigliole d'Asti:
Annunziata is a frazione (hamlet) in Costigliole d'Asti in the Province of Asti.
It is about 1.5 km southwest of the town center of Costigliole d'Asti, which is
about 13 km south of the city of Asti in the Alto Monferrato.
Annunziata is 10 km northeast of the Giacosa winery in Neive.
So far this is the only vintage of this wine I know of.
In fact, it is the only Barbera d'Asti from Giacosa that I know of.
If you know of another, please send photos.
- Single-Vineyard Barbera d'Alba from the Arione vineyard in Serralunga d'Alba.
Note that 1976 is the one of the years that Giacosa made a
Barolo from Arione di Serralunga d'Alba.
Maybe 1974 as well, but I have not seen one.
If you know of any other vintages of this wine, please send photos.
- Single-Vineyard Barbera d'Alba from the Falletto vineyard in Serralunga d'Alba.
Giacosa bought the Falletto vineyard in 1982, so all the wines below are estate bottled wines.
If you know of any other vintages of this wine, please let me know.
Starting with the 2010 vintage, the winery understood the new rules to mean that
a vineyard designation such as "Falletto" was not allowed on Barbera d'Alba.
Thus, the only way to tell the estate-bottled Barbera d'Alba Falletto from the
non-estate-bottled Barbera d'Alba is that the estate-bottled Barbera d'Alba says
"Azienda Agricola Falletto di Bruno Giacosa" at the bottom of the label, while
the non-estate-bottled Barbera d'Alba says "Casa Vinicola Bruno Giacosa".
Also, the single-vineyard estate-bottled Barbera d'Alba Falletto shows the number
of bottles produced (left side middle), while the non-estate-bottled Barbera d'Alba
does not.
- Single-Vineyard Barbera d'Alba from the Ginestra vineyard in Monforte.
Note that 1974 is the one year that Giacosa made a
Barolo from Ginestra di Monforte.
If you know of any other vintages of this wine, please let me know.
- Single-Vineyard Barbera from the Longoria vineyard.
The winery tells me that a Barbera was made from Longoria in 1978.
I think this vineyard might be in Neive.
If you know of any other vintages of this wine or have any photos of this one,
please let me know.
Cortese
- Single-Vineyard Cortese from the Rovereto vineyard.
Rovereto is a well-regarded vineyard in the commune of Rovereto in the Gavi region.
Cortese is a white grape used to make Gavi di Gavi, aka Cortese di Gavi.
If you know of any other vintages of this wine or have any photos of this one,
please let me know.
Dolcetto
- Dolcetto d'Alba.
If you know of any other vintages of this wine, please let me know.
- Single-Vineyard Dolcetto d'Alba from the Basarin vineyard in Neive.
Basarin is a well-regarded MGA in the Barbaresco town of Neive.
I think 2006 was the last vintage where Giacosa made this wine.
If you know of any other vintages of this wine, please let me know.
- Single-Vineyard Dolcetto d'Alba from the Falletto vineyard in Serralunga d'Alba.
Giacosa bought the Falletto vineyard in 1982, so all the wines below are estate bottled wines.
If you know of any other vintages of this wine, please let me know.
- Single-Vineyard Dolcetto d'Alba from the Faset vineyard in Barbaresco.
Faset is a well-regarded MGA in the town of Barbaresco.
Colle
means hill.
If you know of any other vintages of this wine, please let me know.
- Single-Vineyard Dolcetto d'Alba from the Plinet vineyard Trezzo Tinella.
Trezzo Tinella is a comune 3km southeast of the Barberesco comune of Treiso
and about 10 km southeast of Alba.
If you know of any other vintages of this wine, please let me know.
- Single-Vineyard Dolcetto d'Alba from the Sorano section of the Bongiovanni vineyard in Treiso.
Sorano is a variation on the Piedmontese word Sorì which generally refers to the top of a hill
and the best part of the vineyard.
In this case, it is the top of the Bongiovanni vineyard in the Barbaresco town of Treiso.
The Bongiovanni vineyard borders the eastern edge of the town of Treiso,
just south of the San Stunet MGA.
I've been told that these grapes were sold to Giacosa by a family in Treiso named Lo Russo.
I think 2007 was the first vintage where Giacosa made this wine and 2010 was the last vintage.
I also think 2006 was the last vintage of Dolcetto from Basarin,
so probably this wine replaced that one in their portfolio.
If you know of any other vintages of this wine, please let me know.
- Single-Vineyard Dolcetto d'Alba from the Veneria section of the Bricco di Neive MGA in Neive.
Veneria is an area at the top of the Bricco di Neive MGA.
With an altitue above 400m, it has long been considered an excellent area for Dolcetto and Moscato.
Today it is being replanted with Nebbiolo.
If you know of any other vintages of this wine, please let me know.
Freisa
If you know of any other Giacosa bottlings of Freisa, please let me know.
- Single-Vineyard Freisa from the Vicenziana MGA in the town of Barbaresco.
Licenziana is another name for the Vicenziana MGA in the town of Barbaresco.
Licenziana (Vicenziana) is a small vineyard at the northern end of the Ovello ridge.
AFAIK Giacosa only made this wine in 1974 (but then again, until 2018 when I bought this bottle,
I had no idea this vineyard existed or that Giacosa had made a wine from it, esp. Freisa.
If you know of any other vintages of this wine or any other Giacosa Freisa bottlings,
please let me know.
- Single-Vineyard Freisa from Altavilla near Alba.
Altavilla is a vineyard and a hamlet about 4 km east of the center of Alba.
If you have a photo of any of these, please send it.
A source told me that they bought these grapes from a family also named Giacosa,
but no relation to Bruno.
If you know of any other vintages of this wine, please let me know.
- 1980 Freisa Altavilla d'Alba.
- 1982 Freisa Altavilla d'Alba.
Grignolino
- Non-Single-Vineyard Grignolino.
If you know of any other vintages of this wine, please let me know.
- Non-Single-Vineyard Grignolino d'Asti.
If you know of any other vintages of this wine, please let me know.
- Single-Vineyard Grignolino d'Asti from Valdeperno (di Sessant).
Valdeperno is a vineyard in the commune of Asti (in the province of Asti).
I believe it is near the frazione of Sessant (just north of the town of Asti),
since the oldest of these is labeled Valdeperno di Sessant
.
If you know of any other vintages of this wine, please let me know.
- Single-Vineyard Grignolino del Monferato Casalese from La Presidenta di Olivola.
La Presidenta is a vineyard in the commune of Olivola, which is a town in the Province of Alessandria.
If you know of any other vintages of this wine, please let me know.
Nebbiolo
Giacosa makes two wines that qualify as Nebbiolo d'Alba DOC.
The basic one is made from grapes purchased in the Roero area.
(Roero is just north of Alba. The Tanaro River separates it from the Langhe.)
The second is made from grapes purchased from two specific growers plots in Valmaggiore.
Valmaggiore is arguably the most highly regarded vineyard in the Roero area.
It is in the commune of Vezza d'Alba.
Sandrone, Brovia, and others also make Nebbiolo d'Alba from Valmaggiore.
The first vintage of Giacosa Valmaggiore was 1971.
Note that as is Giacosa's custom with all his wines, the single-vineyard Valmaggiore
label gives the bottle numbers, while the non-single-vineyard Nebbiolo d'Alba does not.
- Nebbiolo d'Alba.
If you know of any other vintages of this wine, please let me know.
- Nebbiolo d'Alba from Valmaggiore in Vezza d'Alba.
If you know of any other vintages of this wine, please let me know.
Spumante
Giacosa makes rosé and white sparkling wine (called Supmante
in Italy).
Both are made from 100% Pinot Noir (Pinot Nero in Italian) grown in the village of Casteggio,
in the Oltrepo Pavese zone.
The Oltrepo Pavese zone is located in the Province of Pavia, in the Lombardia Region of Italy.
Made by the traditional Champagne method in a blanc de noirs style.
First bottled in 1983.
The first fermentation is carried out in stainless steel.
Secondary fermentation is in bottle and hand riddled.
Aged on the lees for 24 to 36 months.
- White Spumante.
If you know of any other vintages of this wine, please let me know.
- Rosé Spumante.
If you know of any other vintages of this wine, please let me know.
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