2004 Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Albesani Vigna Santo Stefano
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Tasting notes
The 2004 Barbaresco Santo Stefano is exquisite. Sensual and perfumed, the 2004 offers up a beguiling mix of sweet aromatics and notable freshness, with deceptive intensity and tons of class. Crushed rose petals, mint, dried herbs and red berry fruit all grace this captivating Barbaresco from Bruno Giacosa.
Critic scores
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
The Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
Giacosa's 2004 Barbaresco Santo Stefano is a superb wine. Sweet, floral, mentholated aromatics meld into an expressive core of ripe fruit, with superb length and elegant tannins to round out the finish. Made in a more linear style than the Asili and Rabaja, it doesn't possess the expansiveness of those two wines, but it does reveal tremendous depth, harmony and balance. This pure, sweet, long Barbaresco is the best Santo Stefano in years. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2022.
The 2004 Barbaresco Santo Stefano shows the pedigree of this great Piedmont vintage. An ample, complex wine, the 2004 fills out in all directions with myriad of aromatics and layers of flavor. Dark red stone fruit, exotic spice, leather and licorice all develop in the glass. The wine’s pure textural finesse and creaminess show what makes the finest 2004s so appealing.
The 2004 Barbaresco Santo Stefano is the most stern and nervous of Giacosa's 2004 Barbarescos. In any other tasting the 2004 would likely come out ahead of the pack, but here, with greater context, it is easier to get a full view of the wine. Still, the 2004 Santo Stefano is a gorgeous bottle of wine. Scents of rose petal, anise and cinnamon add shades of nuance throughout.
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.