NV Giacosa with Riccardo Campinoti @ Hearth, NYC, 5/5/2025

Neb Vinous Giacosa Riservas with Riccardo Campinoti
@ Hearth, East Village, NYC, 5/5/2025

Riccardo Campinoti of Le Ragnaie winery in Montalcino was in town for an event and asked me if I could put together a Giacosa dinner. I did not need any encouragement to do this as Giacosa is my favorite producer. I recruited 6 folks from our Neb Vinous group to join us. We had no bad bottles and a load of great ones. A night to remember.

Note that we had two bottles of the 1986 Bruno Giacosa Barolo Riserva Falletto. The one in Flight 1 was a bottle imported to the US a long time ago. The one in Flight 2 was a bottle bought in Italy and carried over by Riccardo.

For more background on the wines of Bruno Giacosa, check out the FWG's page on The Wines of Bruno Giacosa.

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We met at Hearth, 403 East 12th Street (at 1st Avenue) in the East Village at 6pm.
The food (except the pork course) was good and the service was excellent.

Starter

2013 Julian Haart Goldtröpfchen Riesling - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
[Pop and pour.] Lovely gold color. Nose of citrus and minerals. Dry with some complexity. Impressive for a Qualitätswein. (92 points)

Flight 1.
Focaccia and hummus made from green chickpeas.
Delicious. I had not had this before. It had an interesting added taste from the greenness of the chickpeas.

1985 Bruno Giacosa Barolo Riserva Falletto di Serralunga d'Alba - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Double-decanted at 11am.] Mature nose of dried red fruit and forest floor. On its downhill slide. Clearly fading, but still lovely in an earthy way. Drink up! (91 points)
1986 Bruno Giacosa Barolo Riserva Falletto di Serralunga d'Alba - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Double-decanted at 9:30am. This is the US bottle.] Mature nose of cherries and fruitcake. Rich and expansive. Classic Giacosa, expansive, complex, beautiful. Not fading, but I wouldn't wait too long to drink this. (95 points)

Flight 2.
Burrata with Pistachio and Rhubarb.
This was delicious.

1986 Bruno Giacosa Barolo Riserva Falletto di Serralunga d'Alba - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Double-decanted at 5pm. This is the Italian bottle brought by Riccardo.] Tight nose of red and black fruit. Rich and complex. Showing more tannin than the previous bottle. Not a bad wine to have two bottles in one tasting. (95 points)
1989 Bruno Giacosa Barolo Riserva Falletto di Serralunga d'Alba - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Double-decanted at 11am.] Exquisite nose of sweet red and black fruit and spice. Expansive in the mouth with stunning complexity which goes on and on. A monumentally great wine. My WOTN. (99 points)

Flight 3.
Campanelle with Spring Greens, Ramps and Stracciatella.
Tasty, but not quite as good as last time.

2008 Bartolo Mascarello Barolo - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Double-decanted at 8am.] Gorgeous nose of sweet red and black fruit. A very different style of wine from the others tonight, but wonderful in its own way. Long and complex. Lovely now and for at least another decade. (94 points)
2006 Roagna Barolo Riserva Pira - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Slow-O'd for 3 hours at around 2pm.] Surprisingly light color for such a powerful wine. Heavenly nose of red fruit and minerals. This is just a monumental wine. Amazing. Expansive in the mouth with so much fruit and complexity. Wow! (98 points)

Flight 4.
Grilled Berkshire Pork Chop with Sauteed Greens, Nectarine and Balsamela.
This was disappointing. The pork was overcooked and dry. Also, over spiced for the wine.

2001 Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Riserva Rabajà - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
[Double-decanted at 2:30pm for 30 minutes.] Glorious nose of black fruit and spice. Another incredible bottle of this great wine. So long and complex. Expansive. (98 points)
2001 Bruno Giacosa Barolo Riserva Le Rocche del Falletto di Serralunga d'Alba - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Double-decanted at 5pm.] Huge black fruit nose. Massive dark black fruit. An incredible young wine. Monumental. Rich, complex, and super long. Should improve for another decade, then drink well for at least another twenty years. (98–100 points)

Flight 5.
Cheese Plate: Blossom cheese from the Bavarian Alps and rhubarb jam.
A very tasty cheese I'd never had before.

2000 Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Riserva Asili - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
[Double-decanted at 11am.] Tight nose of sweet red fruit and spice. Long with juicy red fruit. Still a bit tight. Complex with plenty of years ahead. (95–97 points)
2004 Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Riserva Asili - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
[Opened at 11am. Double-decanted at 3:30pm.] Stunning nose of black fruit and fruitcake spice. Lots of meaty red fruit. Super long. Just another incredible wine to end the evening. Should improve for another decade, then drink well for at least another twenty years. (97–99 points)

Dessert
The cheese plate was our official dessert, but the restaurant decided to give us these yummy treats.
Chocolate Hazelnut Mousse Bar with espresso caramel and candied almonds.
Small and yummy. Just right. The part of Vanna White is played here by Ben.

Summary
What can I say? For me, among the best group of wines I've ever had at one dinner. The genius of Bruno Giacosa on full display. With a nod to Maria Teresa Mascarello and Luca Roagna for their brilliant contributions.

All the wines:

People Pix
Rob, Jon, Riccardo, Josh:

Ben, Iggy, Brad:

My tasting notes posted from CellarTracker.