Bruno Giacosa, Barolo, Vignarionda Collina Rionda Riserva

Amazing perfume: complex mature Barolo scents with a hint of walnuts. Pure and elegant on the palate, delicate but no shortage of energy and persistency. Complex in a way that I find impossible to describe. Beautiful.

1982 vintage

The Giacosa of course comes from a legendary series of wines, and this was certainly impressive, though still with more promise than performance on this occasion. Which is not to say that it was impressive. Deep and smoky on the nose, rich with aromas of stone, earth, black cherry, big botte, and ash, it was a joy to smell. On the palate it was rich, chewy, deep and powerful, with excellent persistence to medicinal, bitter cherry fruit. It was decidedly …

1990 vintage

One Year Anniversary CLT Tasting Group (82 Giacosa, 86 Las Casas, 91 Heitz Matha's & More) (Charlotte, NC) : Opened 5 hours in advance and double decanted once before slo-oxing prior to serving. It could have used at least 8 hours, if not 12, to reach its apogee which is scary because this wine was spectacular when served and only improved all evening. Colors of light garnet with only a hint of orange hues displaying an aged but by no …

1982 vintage

Mostly Giacosa dinner (RPM Italian, Washington D.C.) : Expressive nose displaying elegant red and black fruit, strawberry, raspberry, a hint of dry cherry, rose, licorice, soy, leather. Dark spices and mineral. There is a strong iron note that I associate with Giacosa’s Collina Rionda. Beautifully balanced, very finely layered clean subtle red and black fruit, cool and silky, medium acidity, strong iron mineral, and a long elegant sweet red and black fruit driven finish with strong iron at the end. …

1990 vintage

Jamie's DC visit Barolo and Barbaresco : Perfectly mature sensual nose displaying elegant sweet red fruit, candied cherry, strawberry, dark cherry, floral perfume, light caramel, leather, tar, sweet spices, cumin, iron and limestone. Beautifully integrated palate, layers upon layers of subtle sweet red fruit, perfect balance and beautifully detailed, fluid and weightless, perfect amount of acidity and mineral, and a seamless long perfectly ripe red fruit driven finish with cumin and floral perfume at the end. It doesn’t posses the …

1990 vintage

Burgundy and Barolo dinner - Krug, Raveneau, Giacosa, Monfortino, Mugnier and etc. (Capital Grille, Tysons, VA) : Expressive nose displaying concentrated sweet black fruit, blackberry, black cherry, rose, dark spices, caramel, leather, porcini, cumin and mineral. Excellent concentration, very finely layered ripe black fruit, sweet and rich but also showing good balance, medium acidity and mineral, and along ripe black fruit driven finish with caramel at the end. The fruit is darker and more youthful than the 90 Santo Stefano. …

1990 vintage

Nose has softening red currant fruit and distinct Italian spice. I always find these wines a little more tertiary with that sort of leather, fall leaves, tobacco, and spice cabinet sort of array. Very pretty in a unique way. Fruit is very soft on the palate but the tannin still grips which is maybe why I am less thrilled by Barolo than many. Stood up for several days and carefully decanted so the glasses were fresh and clean. A wonderful …

1990 vintage

A Study of Vigna Rionda (Racines, NYC) : The nose was dark and rich, showing zesty black cherries with mineral-infused dark floral tones and dusty earth. On the palate, I found silky, enveloping textures, balanced by fresh acidity with a mix of red and black fruit giving way to exotic spice, and slow-mounting tannins. The finish was long, still showing a hint of tannin. With dark red fruits, minerals and savory spices lingering in a cool-toned expression for the vintage. …

1990 vintage

Sexy and sophisticated. Charming and Seductive. The most beautiful perfume of rose petals and white truffle. Extremely classy and refined. This is breathtaking and profound Barolo.

1982 vintage

The ‘82 Collina Rionda was in gorgeous form, showing a layered bouquet of dark earth and dried flowers, followed by sweet crushed strawberry, savory spice and lifting minerality. On the palate, I found a soft and fleshy expression, yet so balanced through brisk acidity, with hints of spice, sweet herbal tea, and saturating minerality. The finish was wonderfully long and fresh, resonating on mineral-soaked cherry, inner florals and zing of lingering acidity.

1982 vintage

The ‘82 Collina Rionda was in gorgeous form, showing a layered bouquet of dark earth and dried flowers, followed by sweet crushed strawberry, savory spice and lifting minerality. On the palate, I found a soft and fleshy expression, yet so balanced through brisk acidity, with hints of spice, sweet herbal tea, and saturating minerality. The finish was wonderfully long and fresh, resonating on mineral-soaked cherry, inner florals and zing of lingering acidity.

1982 vintage

1982 piedmont Retrospective (Fausto, Brooklyn) : 1982's at Fausto Where the Falletto comes right at you with more an overt presence, this comes at you sideways and flirts. Roses, balsam, Serralunga perfume, white truffle, and beautiful cherry fruit on the nose. Midwieighted on the palate, yet with great breadth and persistence. Expansive, and with a sweetness to the fruit. There is a pushing you over with a feather kind of weightless impact to this wine that is impressive. A more …

1982 vintage

Giacosa x Overnoy; 6/16/2018-6/17/2018 : Bottle breathed for 10 hours prior to serving into Zalto Burgundy glass (“Leaf): Medium bricking ruby to the eyes. Very pleasant soy sauce notes that is more evident on 2nd flight. Nice mature red fruits. Some seaweed notes too. Ethereal. Quite ripe and almost sweet. Very nice fruits still on palate. Soft touch, persistent finish. 93-94 points.

1990 vintage

Bruno Giacosa Tribute Dinner (Casa Tartufo, Singapore) : Absolutely lovely wine, but this was a couple of steps behind the more mature and ready 1978 - I can well see it getting there and maybe even overtaking its older sister in the next decade or so though. What a nose this had. Little drifts of earth and truffles and broiled meat, melting roses, a core of sweet red fruit, just a bit of cream on the sides. Wonderful! This was …

1990 vintage

Giacosa weekend - lunch at Masseria (Masseria, DC) : Most perfumed and sensual nose of the night. Expressive nose displaying ripe dark fruit, dark cherries, blackberries, rose, floral perfume, black truffle, dark spices, curry power, leather, tar, caramel and mineral. Fully integrated sensual palate, very finely layered sweet black fruit, very precise and detailed, perfect amount of acidity and mineral, very fine tannins and a long slightly dry black cherry and rose driven finish.

1990 vintage

Salty Pidgin with Simon and friends (Brooklyn, Wellington, NZ) : Served non-blind beside the Scavino. Rusty red colour. Nick double decanted the Giacosa four hours before dinner. There was major sediment on both this wine and the Scavino. Nick was worried about how the Giacosa was showing on opening and opened the Scavino. Four hours later the Giacosa was transformed. From the first sniff a profound, ethereal bouquet. Detailed and multi-dimensional. Roses and tar, dry clay, mixed spices, cigar, dried …

1990 vintage

A bit tight. On the nose with early aromas of leather and spice that are joined by freshly tilled earth with air. This is a bit of a surprising wine, for years it showed a slightly oxidized character but about five years the nose magically cleaned up. Full review available at: http://www.simplybetterwines.com/celebrating-bruno-giacosas-life-and-work.html

1990 vintage

Some hip roses, elegant and fresh, quite deep, sweetish and lovely, yet not the outstanding bottle I had hoped for.

1982 vintage

licht rood van kleur, doorzichtig, heeft echt even de tijd nodig om zijn best te doen, aardse tonen, toch ook krachtig maar in alles heel elegant, bijzondere wijn

1990 vintage

La Festa del Barolo - wow, this was smooth and graceful, sporting vibrancy and youthful enthusiasm, but does not achieve the depth of the 1982 or the 1989 examples. Still a treat!

1990 vintage

Not the best bottle, displaying some browning to the palate. Yet still expressing the expected red fruit, black licorice, and soil tones. Faint celery seed note to the backpalate. 93-94

1982 vintage

Pristine bottle displaying red fruit, licorice, dark earth and a smokey backpalate. Incredibly complex but at the same a wine that is completely transparent. 97+

1982 vintage

Bottle 1.

1990 vintage

Bottle 2. Red fruit, blood and metallic notes on the nose. Relatively subdued palate. Likely a storage issue here.

1990 vintage

1990 Baroli and others : Double decant then five hours air. Rusty red. Served beside the Scavino. Nick and Wayne preferred the Scavino but I preferred the Giacosa. The less seamless, more idiosyncratic, wine of the two. An aged Barolo bouquet of dried red fruit, earth, balsamic vinegar, autumn leaves on the ground, dry bracken, creosote and cigar. Also, savoury cherry and a little dried Porcini. Hints of old English roses. On palate, clearly a 1990, fully ripe and rich …

1990 vintage

Licorice, smoke, old leather, and light eucalyptus and mint hidden at the very back of the nose. Dark dry earth, coal dust, licorice and lapsang souchong all emerge on the palate. Darker elements well complemented by red cherry, strawberry and dark floral notes. A darker and earthier expression of Collina Rionda than the '89. Wonderful wine, paired well with white truffle. 95-96

1982 vintage

Severely flawed.

1990 vintage

After the Santo Stefano, this 82 was a great surprise, at its apogee, smooth, elegant and long. The WOTF

1982 vintage

This was very nice but not great

1990 vintage

BYO Barolo Dinner (Campagna at the Bedford Post Inn) : Another unbelievable wine. Classic in every way. Incredible balance, texture and complexity. A joy to drink. WOTF.

1982 vintage

BYO Barolo Dinner (Campagna at the Bedford Post Inn) : Soft, supple, smooth and very easy to drink but without the level of depth or complexity of the other Giacosa red labels. Still quite enjoyable though – I think I liked this more than most.

1990 vintage

One the iconic single bottlings of Bruno Giacosa, too bad the wine had some serieus maderisation issues. Appearance cola coloured very tawny and a bit dull. Nose wet forest floor, mushrooms and lack of fruit. Palate rough, lack of everything a shame.

1990 vintage

MONFORTINO VERTICALE (ENOTECA ROSSORUBINO TORINO) : Altra marcia, altra categoria, altra purezza. Bottiglia rara in condizioni strabilianti di forma e conservazione. Bellissimo rosso porpora scintillante, senza segni di stanchezza. Al naso, il registro è più giovanile rispetto al Monfortino, più scattante, più puro e con grande eleganza. Una damigella in abito di pizzo. Al palato è uno dei più grandi baroli che abbia assaggiato, pur senza strafare, senza riempire la bocca di frutto, legno e sovraestrazioni, degno del detto borgognone …

1982 vintage

Way more evolved than the 1978 Collina Rionda, which is good because the '78 needs 20-30 years more evolution.

1982 vintage

Nebbiolo : Erbe amare, cicoria cotta e se cerchi bene c'è ancora quel piccolo frutto blu croccante. Poi mineralità complessa quasi da saldatura, paprika dolce, tabasco e un sentore organico quasi di pelle umana! Un tannino che commuove nella sua integrità. Che vino!

1982 vintage

Marvelous, but not at the same level as previous examples.

1982 vintage

Bottiglia sotto performante, la bocca si difende anche se non eccelle e dopo poco tempo si siede, il naso per tutta la serata non abbandona un timbro di brodo e di fungo poco piacevole

1990 vintage

Doesn't show quite the same haunting aromatics and depth of the Falletto, but this is still phenomenal - not quite as complex, but also incredibly pure, layered and polished, more savoury up front with a greater emphasis on the smoky/earthy flavours, but turning sweeter on the back end. Lovely.

1990 vintage

Gala Dinner at Antonio Galloni's La Festa del Barolo (Del Posto Restaurant, NYC) : WOTN for me. A stunning wine that easily stands out among all these great wines.

1990 vintage

Naso non perfettamente pulito, ma la bocca è fantastica, suadente e setosa, di bilanciata dolcezza e notevole progressione

1982 vintage

Classic barolo dried flowers/fruit ...amazing wine, brilliant and just delicious but it fades moderately quickly.

1982 vintage

This wine shows surprisingly little on the nose. Red fruit, rich and sweet, with real energy… incredible complexity and harmony, which is deceiving because of its apparent lightness of body and texture – but it has fabulous intensity and depth. Classic Barolo cherry/rose petal/strawberry notes – someone mentioned celery salt, which is apt. It threw huge amounts of sediment.

1982 vintage

Very special wine. Big and full bodied. Gorgeous nose. Didn't have the complexity of the 90 Asili Riserva but still captivating. Giacosa brings it each and every time and is indeed the master.

1990 vintage

So fun to taste this again after it blew my mind years ago. Had next to 90 Asili, this was more full bodied (i.e, barolo vs. barbaresco) ad terribly complex but not quite as sexy. Nonehteless a great wine with likely many many years to go.

1990 vintage

Barolo including a Giacosa Rionda Riserva Vertical (Maialino, Gramercy Park Hotel, NYC) : [Opened at 1pm. Served at 7pm. No decanting.] Sweeter in the nose than the 78 with more red fruit. Has a richness and sweetness that is incredibly appealing. A great showing for this wine, perhaps the most pleasurable of the evening to drink tonight. The sweetness and harmony is compelling. Reminds me of 82 Bordeaux as a vintage.

1982 vintage

Barolo Tasting w/ Bob Macdonald (Minneapolis) : Light brick red color. Beautiful, very high-toned nose, resplendent with roses, cherries, spices, and a hint of brown sugar. The palate is barely mid-weight and supply textured, revealing superb complexity, zesty acidity and minerality, and a long finish. Improved steadily with air. Based on this bottle (purchased on release), this wine is in fine drinking shape now.

1982 vintage

Gala Dinner of La Festa del Barolo (Del Posto Restaurant, NYC) : Brought by Dan Tisch. Vibrant, riveting. A very special wine. Beefier than other vintages of Rionda.

1982 vintage

Naso un po' evoluto però pian piano si ripulisce, verso il classico buon brodino giacosiano, transitando anche sulla rosa e altri tocchi floreali, e sulla liquirizia. Rimane però sempre un filo di alcool a penalizzarlo un po'. La bocca invece è ricchissima, con un bel tannino dolce e molto succosa, con una bella lunghezza e una gran chiusura

1982 vintage

Non in linea con quelle bevute in precedenza. Molto indietro, con toni floreali tenui, non esplosivo come al solito. Ogni tanto vira verso il verde e lo smalto, per poi tornare sul floreale e sul frutto. Bocca molto magra, soprattutto al centro. Il finale invece, è ricco con una bella chiusura e lunghezza

1982 vintage

A Knight at babbo (New York) : Lovely pink tinged carmine red. The nose opens slowly with iron, flowers, seashells, strawberry. Lovely sweet rich fruit right up front then a tight and youthfull midpalate full of dark minerality which leads to a long finish of toasted black raspberries and intense retronasal perfume. Really lovely sweetness and a great energy of fruit and mineral that gives the wine good tension in the mouth even though as a package this could easily …

1982 vintage

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Bruno Giacosa, Barolo, Vignarionda Collina Rionda Riserva

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