1998 Barbaresco Santo Stefano Riserva
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Tasting notes
The 1998 is the last Barbaresco Santo Stefano Giacosa bottled as a Riserva. For years, the 1998 flew under the radar, likely a victim of a vintage that at the time was considered very good, but not great. Dried cherry, star anise, pomegranate, dried rose petal and deeply spiced notes are some of the signatures. The 1998 is deep, fleshy and quite giving in personality. In any tasting, there are bound to be wines that don’t show as well as they can. In this vertical, it is the 1998. This is a fine bottle, but I have had better.
Critic scores
Average Score
Robert Parker
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Giacosa's 1998 Barbaresco Riserva Santo Stefano is one of those wines that passed with very little fanfare in the market when it was first released. For several years thereafter, it could be found at or around its release price. When it was young, the 1998 was explosive and deeply spiced. Time has mellowed some of the wine's pure intensity, but the signature exotic floral/spiced aromatics are still quite prominent. The 1998 needs a few hours of air to fully blossom, but it is superb. I imagine the 1998 will reward readers with another 15-20 years of fine drinking, even if it is not likely to join the handful of vintages that represent the pinnacle of achievement in Santo Stefano.
Giacosa’s 1998 Barbaresco Riserva Santo Stefano enjoyed a good showing, with its layers of perfumed, spiced fruit on full display. It was gorgeous and impeccably balanced; even if this wasn’t the very finest bottle of 1998 Santo Stefano I have had recently.
In 1998, the renowned Barbaresco Santo Stefano is the most forward offering, with its medium ruby color already displaying amber at the edge. Aromas of new saddle leather, fennel, smoke, tobacco, kirsch liqueur, and licorice soar from the glass of this ripe, opulent, medium to full-bodied Barbaresco. I hesitate to say it can be drunk young given the tendency of these wines to shut down, but readers who purchase it (that includes me) should let it settle down for a year or two after arrival, and drink it over the following 15+ years. A Leonardo Locascio Selection, Winebow, Hohokus, NJ; tel. (201) 445-0620
About the producer
Bruno Giacosa – now run by daughter Bruna – is a cult Nebbiolo producer, that has consistently made some of the best single-vineyard Barbaresco and Barolo from the 1960s onwards. The“red-label” Riservas are some of the finest and most collectable wines in Italy.