2006 was a difficult year for Bruno Giacosa. He suffered a serious stroke which resulted in his being absent from both the vineyards and cellar for most of the year and into the beginning of 2007.
Although 2006 was overall a fine vintage in Piedmont, now that Bruno is in a position to judge the quality of the wines personally, he is not satisfied that the Barolo’s and Barbaresco’s produced at Giacosa meet his exacting standards.
He has taken the brave and, we think, highly honourable decision not to bottle these wines, which is clearly a considerable financial sacrifice.
Bruno’s decision underlines the remarkable recovery he has made. He is now back fully involved, alongside new winemaker Giorgio Lavagna, and after a clearly difficult period, the focus on quality remains as strong as ever at Giacosa.
As a result of the decision with the 2006s, we now plan to release the 2007 Barbaresco wines in February/ March 2010.
