Bruno Giacosa Barolo La Rocche Falletto 2003

"The 2003 Barolo Le Rocche del Falletto is a fascinating wine. It is classic Giacosa, with a lovely core of sweet roses, raspberries, licorice and menthol that is currently hiding under an imposing wall of tannins. It is also a wine of contrasts, at times open and accessible, at others brooding and shut down. As it sits in the glass the fruit gradually emerges to fill out the wine’s structure. It had only improved when I re-tasted it several days after first opening the bottle. That said, it will require further cellaring to soften the tannins, as the wine has shut down considerably since bottling. Made from the heart of the Falletto vineyard, it clearly benefits from the age of the vines in these selected plots."

94 Points

The Wine Advocate

"A little jammy on the nose, with lots of strawberry. Full-bodied, with chewy tannins and a long, chewy finish. Slightly one-dimensional now, but should develop wonderfully over time."

92 Points

Wine Spectator

"Medium red. Autumnal aromas of red berries, underbrush and mushroom lifted by a hint of sweet spices on the surprisingly forward, open nose. Sweet and fairly plump at first, with moderately complex flavors of red cherry, cinnamon, nutmeg and leather, this shows building tannins on the medium-long finish that manage to avoid bitterness. An extremely successful wine for the vintage: I think it's developing at a faster rate than my original barrel tastings would have led me to believe, though it's still an infant. Giacosa did not produce any Riserva bottlings in 2003, an extremely difficult furnace-like drought year."

91 Points

International Wine Cellar