| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | Italy > Piedmont > Barolo |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
The 2001 vintage in Piedmont has long been a favorite of mine. Bruno Giacosa’s 2001 Barolo Riserva Le Rocche del Falletto is explosive and decadently rich from the very first taste. The 2001 is arguably the last truly classic vintage for the Rocche Red Label. To be sure, the 2004, 2005 and 2007 are all compelling, but the 2001 has more in common stylistically with vintages like 1996 and 1999. Dense, perfumed and wonderfully intense, the 2001 is phenomenally great. Wow.
The 2001 Falletto Riserva from Bruno Giacosa remains a young wine, but it is starting to stir at age twenty and it will not be too much longer before it emerges to really begin drinking with the generosity of maturity. The bouquet is already superb, wafting from the glass in a mix of sappy cherries, white truffles, a touch of road tar, a gorgeous base of soil tones, celery seed and a pungent topnote of roses. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, focused and potentially very sappy at the core, with fine focus and grip, still plenty of ripe, seamless tannins and a very, very long, complex and utterly refined finish. This wine will probably start to taste really good with some extended decanting time in about five or six years, but try to hold off opening up bottles until at least 2030 and really let the magic unfold in all its glory. (Drink between 2026-2100).
The 2001 Barolo Riserva Le Rocche del Falletto is unbelievably reticent, which is hardly surprising considering how massive the wine was when it was relased. Readers will have to be especially patient here. The 2001 is best forgotten about for a number of years. Anticipated maturity: 2016-2026.
Darker and more backward than the Falletto in both its aromas and flavors, Giacosa’s staggering 2001 Barolo Riserva Le Rocche del Falletto offers an explosive nose of spices, menthol, minerals, smoke and scorched earth followed by waves of sweet fruit that coat the palate in a potent mix of finesse and sheer power, with fine tannins, and a lingering balsamic note on the finish. This complex, multi-dimensional wine will require considerable patience and will age gracefully for several decades. Made from the oldest vines at Falletto, the 2001 Barolo Riserva Le Rocche del Falletto is another towering achievement from Bruno Giacosa. An Azienda Agricola Falletto di Bruno Giacosa bottling. To be released in 2007.
