Bruno Giacosa

Bruno Giacosa was an Italian wine producer from the village of Neive in the Langhe region of Piedmont, who made Barbaresco and Barolo wines as well as bottlings of Arneis, Barbera, Dolcetto, and sparkling wine. He was the third generation of the Giacosa family in wine; his grandfather Carlo and father Mario had operated as commercianti, purchasing grapes from growers and selling wine in bulk. Bruno entered the family business at age 15, having left school during World War II, and trained entirely in the cellar and vineyard rather than in any formal enology program. This upbringing as a grape buyer gave him an encyclopedic knowledge of Langhe vineyards and an unrivaled ability to select superior fruit, skills that would define his entire career.

• Third-generation winemaker, born 1929 in Neive; began working in the family business in 1944 at age 15
• Family tradition was commerciante: purchasing grapes from growers to sell or vinify as bulk wine
• First wines bearing the Bruno Giacosa label were a Barolo and a Barbaresco from the 1961 vintage
• Two labels used: Azienda Agricola Falletto for estate wines, Casa Vinicola Bruno Giacosa for purchased-fruit wines

During the 1960s, Bruno Giacosa was considered one of only three significant producers of Barbaresco, alongside Gaja and Produttori del Barbaresco. In 1964, he pioneered single-vineyard cru bottlings in Piedmont with his Barbaresco Santo Stefano from Neive, a landmark move that predated Angelo Gaja's own cru bottlings by several years. Unlike virtually every other great producer in the region, Giacosa achieved top recognition for wines from both Barolo and Barbaresco, a distinction no other Piedmontese winemaker has matched. His Arneis bottlings in the 1970s, made alongside Vietti, also helped rescue that grape variety from near extinction. Robert Parker described him as one of Italy's greatest winemakers, whose Barolos and Barbarescos from 1978, 1982, 1985, 1988, 1989, and 1990 remain among the finest expressions of Nebbiolo ever produced.

• One of only three recognized Barbaresco producers in the 1960s, alongside Gaja and Produttori del Barbaresco
• Pioneered single-vineyard cru Nebbiolo bottlings in Piedmont from 1964, predating Gaja's own single-vineyard releases
• Uniquely acclaimed for top wines from both Barolo and Barbaresco zones simultaneously, across more than five decades
• Described by Wine Spectator as an 'icon of Piedmont' and 'guardian of the traditional style'

Wines from estate-owned vineyards carry the label Azienda Agricola Falletto di Bruno Giacosa; wines from purchased or leased fruit carry the label Casa Vinicola Bruno Giacosa. In exceptional vintages, a Riserva is produced and given a distinctive red label, whereas standard releases carry a white label. The Falletto vineyard in Serralunga d'Alba is divided into two bottlings: the Falletto (always white label), and the Rocche del Falletto (also known as Falletto Vigna Le Rocche), sourced from a specific sub-plot with the oldest vines, which can receive either a red or white label depending on the vintage quality. Before 2008, Falletto bottlings were labeled Falletto di Serralunga d'Alba; regulatory changes required the simplified Falletto designation from 2008 onward. The Barbaresco Santo Stefano di Neive was produced from grapes grown at Castello di Neive from the 1964 vintage through the 2011 vintage, after which the firm moved to an estate-only strategy for its top wines.

• White label = standard release; red label = Riserva, produced only in exceptional vintages
• Falletto (white label only) and Rocche del Falletto (red or white label) are the two Barolo estate bottlings from the Falletto MGA
• Falletto di Serralunga d'Alba labeling used until 2008; simplified to Falletto by regulatory requirement
• Barbaresco Santo Stefano di Neive produced 1964 to 2011 from purchased Castello di Neive grapes; discontinued as estate moved to owned-vineyard focus

The Falletto vineyard in Serralunga d'Alba, acquired in 1982, is the heart of Giacosa's Barolo production. Comprising approximately 13 hectares of southwest-facing calcareous clay soils in a natural amphitheater, it is one of the most celebrated crus in the entire Langhe. Before acquiring estate vineyards, Giacosa produced extraordinary Barolos from purchased fruit, most notably from the Collina Rionda vineyard (also known as Vigna Rionda) in Serralunga from 1967 through the 1993 vintage. These Collina Rionda bottlings are widely considered among the greatest Barolos ever produced. In Barbaresco, the Asili and Rabaja vineyards acquired in 1996 now anchor the estate's production, while the legendary Santo Stefano bottlings from 1964 to 2011 are regarded as the definitive expressions of Neive-style Barbaresco.

• Falletto vineyard, Serralunga d'Alba: approximately 13 hectares, southwest-facing, calcareous clay soils; acquired 1982
• Collina Rionda (Vigna Rionda) Barolos from purchased fruit, 1967 to 1993: widely regarded among the greatest Barolos ever made
• Asili and Rabaja Barbaresco vineyards acquired in 1996; Rabaja plot expanded with a 0.5 hectare addition circa 2013
• Both 2006 and 2010 Barolo vintages were not bottled and were sold off in bulk, a testament to his uncompromising standards

Giacosa's oenological philosophy has been described as 'updated traditional.' The key elements of his approach were a two to three week fermentation in stainless steel at moderate temperatures, followed by three to four years of aging in large 50 hectoliter French oak botti rather than the Slavonian oak traditional to Piedmont. Maceration on skins could last up to thirty days, delivering structure without the extreme extraction of older traditional methods. He was among the first Piedmont producers to use temperature-controlled fermentation in stainless steel and to send wines for laboratory analysis. In exceptional vintages, the wines are released as Riserva with a distinctive red label. Giacosa was famously reluctant to discuss his methods, preferring his wines to speak for themselves. He told writer Gerald Asher in the early 1990s: 'Winemaking involves a great many small decisions, each affecting the next. One can only hope to get them right, to capture what there was in the grapes to begin with.'

• Fermentation in stainless steel for two to three weeks at moderate temperatures
• Aging in large 50hL French oak botti for three to four years; French oak used in place of traditional Slavonian
• Maceration on skins up to thirty days for structure and color without over-extraction
• Refused to bottle entire vintages not meeting his standards; wine sold in bulk as sfuso rather than released under his label

Bruno Giacosa suffered a stroke in January 2006 that left him unable to work at the winery during his recovery, at which point his daughter Bruna Giacosa began assuming an increasingly central management role. He passed away on 21 January 2018 in Alba, aged 88, with daughters Bruna and Marina at his side. Enologist Dante Scaglione, who had first worked with Giacosa from around 1990, left in 2007 to launch a consultancy, and returned to work with the estate again in 2011. Today the winery remains in family hands, with Bruna Giacosa overseeing the estate and Dante Scaglione serving as winemaking consultant, alongside winemaker Giuseppe Tartaglino. The estate continues to produce wines from its holdings at Falletto in Serralunga, Asili and Rabaja in Barbaresco, and La Morra, maintaining the founder's philosophy of minimal intervention and terroir expression.

• Bruno Giacosa suffered a stroke in January 2006; daughter Bruna assumed commercial and operational leadership from that point
• Bruno Giacosa died 21 January 2018 in Alba, aged 88; funeral held 24 January 2018 in Neive
• Dante Scaglione: first worked with Giacosa from around 1990, departed 2007, returned as consultant 2011; remains winemaking consultant
• Estate now run by Bruna Giacosa, with Dante Scaglione as consultant and Giuseppe Tartaglino overseeing cellar operations