2001 Barbaresco Santo Stefano Riserva di Neive
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Tasting notes
I am shocked (pleasantly, I must say), by how closed the 2001 Barbaresco Santo Stefano is. Powerful, tightly wound and totally closed down, the 2001 exudes class. Orange rind, tobacco and smoke add striking aromatic complexity to the intense dark fruit. Today, the tannins are surprisingly intense and raw, so readers will have to be patient. The 2001 is superb, but the wine’s full personality will not be on display for at least another few years. There is a good bit of upside here.
Critic scores
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The 2001 Barbaresco Santo Stefano wafts on the palate with Christmas cake, plums, spices, menthol and licorice. It shows lovely class and an understated personality that is highly appealing.
The 2001 Barbaresco Santo Stefano wafts on the palate with Christmas cake, plums, spices, menthol and licorice. It shows lovely class and an understated personality that is highly appealing. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2021. This is a fabulous set of wines from one of the great Giacosa vintages. Admittedly, opening ten year-old Giacosa Barbareschi and Baroli must be viewed as a purely academic excercise, as the wines are nowhere near ready. Readers will have to be especially patient, as most of these wines have entered a closed phase after having been surprisingly accessible early on. Importer: Folio Fine Wine Partners, Napa, CA; tel. (707) 256-2700
The ethereal 2001 Barbaresco Santo Stefano is simply gorgeous. Translucent ruby in color, it offers a delicate nose of violets, spices, menthol and minerals along with layers of ripe fruit than unfold in a supremely elegant counterpoint of flavors and sensations, finishing with tremendous length. Not to be missed. A Casa Vinicola Bruno Giacosa bottling.
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.