Winemaker Notes
Garnet red with light tinges of orange. Complex and evolving. Floral notes of rose and fruity hints of blood oranges, but also spicy and ethereal scents of licorice, tobacco, and even white truffle. It is warm, persistent and well-structured on the palate, thanks to its high extract and consistent tannic texture. Amidst the fruity and spicy notes, an interestingly marked sapidity stands out, endowed by the sandy-marly soil composition typical of the Mandorlo vineyard.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This shows so beautifully now with ripe-fruit, rust, tile and chocolate aromas and flavors. It’s full-bodied, yet well-crafted and tannic with a nutty, dried-mushroom and fruit finish. Gorgeous is the word.
Giacosa Fratelli is a fifth-generation, family-owned winery in Piedmont, Italy, where tradition, place, and sustainability come together in every bottle.
The story begins in 1895, when Giuseppe Giacosa—a local sharecropper—won the Italian lottery and used the prize to buy a small winery in Neive. More than a century later, the Giacosa family still farms these same hills, now led by brothers Maurizio and Paolo alongside the next generation, twins Alessandro and Mauro.
Today, Giacosa Fratelli owns organic vineyards across some of Piedmont's most celebrated appellations, including Monforte d'Alba and Castiglione Falletto in Barolo, and Neive in Barbaresco. Their vines grow in highly prized sites such as the Scarrone cru (Castiglione Falletto) — an elevated, south-facing hillside known for producing wines of depth, elegance, and remarkable aging potential. Additional vineyards, like Bussia (Monforte d'Alba) and Gianmate (Neive) allow the family to craft a diverse lineup that truly reflects Piedmont's terroir.
What truly sets Giacosa Fratelli apart is their deep commitment to sustainability. The winery is powered by solar energy, captures its own CO2 emissions, and uses rainwater recycling for irrigation. Organic viticulture and lightweight bottles further reduce their environmental footprint.
Responsible for some of the most elegant and age-worthy wines in the world, Nebbiolo, named for the ubiquitous autumnal fog (called nebbia in Italian), is the star variety of northern Italy’s Piedmont region. Grown throughout the area, as well as in the neighboring Valle d’Aosta and Valtellina, it reaches its highest potential in the Piedmontese villages of Barolo, Barbaresco and Roero. Outside of Italy, growers are still very much in the experimentation stage but some success has been achieved in parts of California. Somm Secret—If you’re new to Nebbiolo, start with a charming, wallet-friendly, early-drinking Langhe Nebbiolo or Nebbiolo d'Alba.
An historic village situated right in between the famous regions of Barolo and Barbaresco, Alba is also the name for the larger wine region surrounding the village.
In a sense, “Alba” is a catch-all phrase, and includes the declassified Nebbiolo wines made in Barolo and Barbaresco, as well as the Nebbiolo grown just outside of these regions’ borders. In fact, Nebbiolo d’Alba is a softer, less tannic and more fruit-forward wine ready to drink within just a couple years of bottling. It is a great place to start if you want to begin to understand the grape. Likewise, the even broader category of Langhe Nebbiolo offers approachable and value-driven options as well.
Barbera, planted alongside Nebbiolo in the surrounding hills, and referred to as Barbera d’Alba, takes on a more powerful and concentrated personality compared to its counterparts in Asti.
Dolcetto is ubiquitous here and, known as Dolcetto d'Alba, can be found casually served alongside antipasti on the tables of Alba’s cafes and wine bars.
Not surprisingly, given its location, Alba is recognized as one of Italy’s premiere culinary destinations and is the home of the fall truffle fair, which attracts visitors from worldwide every year.