“Definitely the pure Giacosa signature without paying the price of a Barolo or Barbaresco.” – Jancis Robinson MW

Robert Parker famously said, “Perhaps the greatest compliment I could confer on Bruno Giacosa is that there are no wines in the world I buy without tasting them first, except for those of his.”

High praise! Well, we happily tasted these just to confirm - and yes, it’s as pure, magical and utterly delicious as expected. If you grabbed some of Giacosa’s Dolcetto and Barbera offerings late last year, you tasted what this famed producer can deliver beyond the glorious Nebbiolo he’s famous for.

Let’s put it this way, if you were amongst the lucky few who experienced both the joy of getting some of this Elio Altare deal, and the subsequent regret of not getting enough, this might be the next best thing.

Or better…don’t make the same mistake here. Trust your Agents of Wine! This absolutely delivers “the pure Giacosa signature without paying the price” as Jancis noted in her review below.

It took much begging and hunting to find one wine with VALUE attached to it. Because Bruno Giacosa-made Barolo and Barbaresco fall outside of most casual Piemonte fans’ budget. Case in point, these rare and highly collectible Double Magnums of a red label of his we snuck into the App for the day.

And this hails from one of the greatest vintages since 2016, rated in the 95-98 range by Wine Spectator. Described as “A classic year, with a cold winter, ample water reserves, no weather extremes and an October harvest. Intense, structured, balanced with fine aging potential.”

Does this seem too good to be true?!

Giacosa is without a doubt one of the most important winemakers in the modern history of Piemonte. “His contributions to Italian wine and his beloved Piedmont are beyond measure,” as Robert Parker attests. Wine Spectator adds, “Bruno Giacosa, one of the greatest winemakers of Italy’s Piedmont region… he could never be labeled a traditionalist or modernist. He was simply Bruno Giacosa, the Maestro, making ethereal wines vintage after vintage that were highly sought around the world.”

Beginning his six-decade-long career in a region that traditionally blended fruit from different sites, the Wine Advocate emphasized how, “Bruno Giacosa was among the first visionaries to understand the importance of the Langhe cru, and the unique expressions that are obtained with a single-vineyard winemaking philosophy.”

He was instrumental in searching for and identifying the best historic sites, like Vigna Valmaggiore, which he discovered in 1971. Per Fine Wine Geek - foremost expert on all matters Giacosa, he “makes two wines that qualify as Nebbiolo d’Alba. The basic one is made from grapes purchased in the Roero area. The second is made from grapes purchased from two specific growers’ plots in Valmaggiore, arguably the most highly regarded vineyard in the Roero area. It is in the commune of Vezza d’Alba. Sandrone, Brovia, and others also make Nebbiolo d’Alba from Valmaggiore. Note that as is Giacosa’s custom with all his wines, the single-vineyard Valmaggiore label gives the bottle numbers, while the non-single-vineyard Nebbiolo d’Alba does not.”

While Decanter missed reviewing this 2021 altogether, the following vintage caught their attention just last summer for a piece spotlighting, “Langhe Nebbiolo and Nebbiolo d’Alba: These bottles prove it’s not all about Barolo. More than simply ‘baby Barolo’, the Nebbiolos of these two DOCs are typically made in more accessible – but no less delicious – styles. For Nebbiolo lovers, they offer a treasure trove of diverse expressions that are typically less expensive and more immediately drinkable. Ratcheting it up a few notches, Giacosa and Sandrone’s bottlings from the Valmaggiore cru were two of my top picks of the entire report… Extremely sandy and vertiginously steep, Valmaggiore is one Roero’s great sites.”

As you can imagine, there isn’t much to go around of this steal – grab yours now!

16.5 Points – Jancis Robinson MW “This current vintage is one of the best vintages, according to the Giacosa team. Valmaggiore is a steep, south-facing cru in Roero that is difficult to work. Giacosa have been renting it long term so they work the 50- to 60-year-old vines. Production is low, vinification is traditional with a 25-day fermentation with pumpovers, then 12 months in botte. Bottled at 14 months and released. Transparent garnet. Pure, fresh nose. Mineral and juicy. Bone-dry finish. Smooth tannins. Definitely the pure Giacosa signature without paying the price of a Barolo or Barbaresco.”