1997 Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Albesani Vigna Santo Stefano
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Tasting notes
The 1997 Barbaresco Santo Stefano is a pretty wine, but it is also a touch faded. Dried cherry, kirsch, smoke, spice cake, licorice and sweet tobacco add to an impression of a wine that is pretty much fully resolved. I would prefer to drink the 1997 sooner rather than later, while there is some freshness left to match the wine’s soft, nuanced feel. Stylistically, the 1997 bears some resemblance to the 2000 – which is not surprising given that both were warm vintages – but is perhaps a bit richer and deeper, but also more forward.
Critic scores
Robert Parker
Robert Parker
More reviews and scores
We started with a flight of Barbareschi from the Santo Stefano vineyard in Neive. This is the one single-vineyard wine Giacosa makes from purchased fruit. Santo Stefano faces due south and sits at about 250 meters above sea level. The wines are usually quite rich within the context of Barbaresco. The only disappointment in the flight was the 1997, which was more advanced than I had hoped.
The classic 1997 Barbaresco Santo Stefano is evolved and flamboyant. A medium ruby/garnet color with an amber edge is followed by a sweet perfume of black cherries, tobacco, leather, spice box, licorice, and tar. Full-bodied, with a creamy texture, superb concentration, and an exquisite finish, it can be drunk now or cellared for 15+ years. A Leonardo Locascio Selection, Winebow, Hohokus, NJ; tel. (201) 445-0620
The classic 1997 Barbaresco Santo Stefano is evolved and flamboyant. A medium ruby/garnet color with an amber edge is followed by a sweet perfume of black cherries, tobacco, leather, spice box, licorice, and tar. Full-bodied, with a creamy texture, superb concentration, and an exquisite finish, it can be drunk now or cellared for 15+ years. Jun 2001, www.robertparker.com
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.