Piemonte 2006 continued

The recent decision of Bruno Giacosa (pictured, with his daughter Bruna) not to bottle any of his Barolo or Barbaresco of the 2006 vintage has caused quite a stir in Italy. After the announcement, the estate's English importer Armit was quick to point out that a stroke Giacosa suffered in the same year made it impossible for him to be in the vineyard or the cellar, suggesting his poor health was the main reason for the allegedly unusually low quality of the wines resulting in this financially tough decision. (See Giacosa and 2006.)

This explanation did not go down...