Barbaresco

About this wine

This is a Nebbiolo based Barbaresco from the Carlo Giacosa estate in the village of Barbaresco, produced in their 1997 vintage and drawn from vineyards the family farms inside the appellation. The aroma typically opens with red cherry and dried rose petal notes, followed by tobacco, forest floor and subtle leather that develop with air. On the palate the wine shows pronounced but refined tannins and lively acidity that give a drying, structured texture and long finish. With age the fruit tones shift toward dried red fruit and savory secondary aromas such as mushroom and spice while the color moves to garnet. Carlo Giacosa emphasizes vineyard selection and traditional Barbaresco vinification, and the region requires Nebbiolo and a minimum period of aging, which is reflected in the wine's firm frame and cellar character.

About the grape

Nebbiolo is the sole grape used in this Barbaresco and has deep roots in the Barbaresco commune where Carlo Giacosa farms small parcels such as Ovello, Asili and Montefico, all planted on calcareous and marl rich soils at roughly 240 to 270 meters above sea level. The variety is prized here for its late ripening and firm tannins, so the Giacosa family practises yield control and green harvesting, a technique they highlighted as important after the 1996 and 1997 vintages to concentrate flavors. In the cellar Nebbiolo from these vineyards is handled with extended maceration and age in large and small oak containers to extract structure while preserving the grape s aromatic lift, a traditional approach the estate has favoured for decades. The farm to bottle story of Carlo Giacosa ties the single grape to long family stewardship, meticulous vineyard selection, and winemaking choices aimed at expressing each Barbaresco cru.

Quick facts

• 🌱 The 1997 Barbaresco was a turning point for the estate, the vintage when Carlo’s green harvest approach proved it could produce more concentrated Nebbiolo.
• ✈️ Carlo Giacosa gave up a potential career in the air force to run the family vineyards, so each bottle from 1997 carries a story of family sacrifice and dedication.
• 🧾 This estate produces very small quantities, so a 1997 Barbaresco from Carlo Giacosa is rarer than many other Barbaresco labels from the same year.
• 🪵 The winery ages wines in very large oak casks and uses long macerations, practices that make the 1997 Barbaresco show old world texture and slow unfolding aromas.
• 👪 1997 was the year the winery hired an employee named Darko who became part of the family story, so bottles from that year mark the start of a long personal chapter at the estate.

Palate profile

Producer

The Carlo Giacosa winery began in the 1950s when the Giacosa family established an agricultural estate in the commune of Barbaresco. Over four generations the family preserved traditional methods while focusing on Nebbiolo based Barbaresco and other local varieties. The estate today manages about five hectares of vineyards located within Barbaresco crus including Ovello, and it produces a selection of single cru and classic Barbaresco wines. Visitors can taste and buy wines at the family cellar on Strada Ovello, where production and aging take place in an underground space.