Barolo Falletto Vigna Le Rocche Riserva 2017

The wine in this vintage

2017 was an extreme year in the Langhe: April frost, a scorching dry summer, an early harvest and low yields. Only the most balanced vineyards turned those conditions into great wines, and Giacosa's decision to make a red-label Riserva from Le Rocche confirms it. Barolo Falletto Vigna Le Rocche Riserva 2017 promises concentration and depth, with dark fruit, rose, spice, liquorice and a substantial tannic frame, balanced by the minerality of Serralunga's soils. Young and powerful, it still needs time today; over the years it will gain harmony and finesse.

The producer · Bruno Giacosa

Few names embody the Langhe tradition like Bruno Giacosa. Born in Neive in 1929 into a family of wine merchants, Bruno learned to read vineyards as a boy and for decades bought grapes from the finest crus of Barolo and Barbaresco, earning a legendary reputation as a selector. Estate vineyards came later: Falletto in Serralunga d'Alba, acquired in 1982, with its most prized parcel, Le Rocche, and a holding in the celebrated Asili cru of Barbaresco. The style is resolutely classic: long macerations, ageing in large oak casks, and austere, long-lived Nebbiolo that needs time to unfold. In the greatest years the house releases its famous red label, the Riserva, among the most sought-after wines in Italy. Since the founder's death in 2018 his daughter Bruna has led the estate with the same rigorous loyalty to place, preserving the identity of a house that shaped modern Barolo and Barbaresco without ever chasing fashion.

Critics' scores

• 98 James Suckling
• 97 Robert Parker
• 97 Wine Spectator
• 18/20 Jancis Robinson

Technical details

Producer

Bruno Giacosa

Region

Piemonte

Country

Italia

Type

Rosso

Vintage

2017

When to drink

Hold, still evolving

Critics' average

97.33/100

Sizes

75 cl, Magnum 150 cl, Case of 6 × 75 cl

eWibe code

0100117