Carlo Giacosa Maria Grazia Langhe Nebbiolo 2020
- Decanter
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Suckling
James
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Winemaker Notes
This appealing, elegant wine pairs nicely with meat starters, stuffed pasta, and fried red and white meats. A good match too for medium mature cheeses.
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Decanter
The grapes for 'Maria Grazia' are selected from Ovello, an MGA from Barbaresco where robust wines are produced. After a fermentation in stainless steel and a relatively short maceration of 10 days, the wine is aged in Slavonian oak for six months. Graceful on the rose-dominated nose, the fruit is multifaceted; cherry, pomegranate and red currants with an earthy depth. The attack is soft and lavish with velvety tannins, showing great concentration for a Langhe Nebbiolo. With its bracing savouriness and lifted finish, it's not one to spit out at a tasting!
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James Suckling
This has aromas of poached plums, strawberries and cinnamon stick. It’s juicy and fruity with a medium body and crunchy, slightly rustic tannins.
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2021-
Suckling
James
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Spectator
Wine
The Carlo Giacosa Winery, run by the family for four generations, is situated in Barbaresco, home to some of Italy’s most prestigious wines, and possesses a lovely view over the village’s medieval tower and the Tanaro Valley. Donato Giacosa, Carlo’s father, founded the winery and, as an expert vine grafter, working both for his own and surrounding estates, encouraged the development of the area’s immaculately geometrical vineyards and, as a consequence, helped shape the very hills of Barbaresco. Carlo, together with his wife Carla, continued in the family tradition, cultivating his roots along with those of his vines. Carlo has developed the winery through the years, aiming always for the highest quality in his wines. Now, it is Maria Grazia’s turn, the latest Giacosa to run the firm. She works alongside Carlo, her dad, and Luca, her son. The Giacosa family history is inextricably a wine-making one. Through the years, they have seen the arrival of research papers for sale new technologies, they have built bigger winery buildings and have designed new labels for their products. But the wines themselves are still, as they have always been, the proof of the Giacosa’s family passion for the work that they do.
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.
Set upon a backdrop of the visually stunning Alps, the enchanting and rolling hills of Piedmont are the source of some of the country’s longest-lived and most sought-after red wines. Vineyards cover a great majority of the land area—especially in Barolo—with the most prized sites at the top hilltops or on south-facing slopes where sunlight exposure is maximized. Piedmont has a continental climate with hot, humid summers leading to cold winters and precipitation year-round. The reliable autumnal fog provides a cooling effect, especially beneficial for Nebbiolo, Piedmont’s most prestigious variety.
In fact, Nebbiolo is named exactly for the arrival of this pre-harvest fog (called “nebbia” in Italian), which prolongs cluster hang time and allows full phenolic balance and ripeness. Harvest of Nebbiolo is last among Piedmont's wine varieties, occurring sometime in October. This grape is responsible for the exalted Piedmont wines of Barbaresco and Barolo, known for their ageability, firm tannins and hallmark aromas of tar and roses. Nebbiolo wines, despite their pale hue, pack a pleasing punch of flavor and structure; the best examples can require about a decade’s wait before they become approachable. Barbaresco tends to be more elegant in style while Barolo is more powerful. Across the Tanaro River, the Roero region, and farther north, the regions of Gattinara and Ghemme, also produce excellent quality Nebbiolo.
Easy-going Barbera is the most planted grape in Piedmont, beloved for its trademark high acidity, low tannin and juicy red fruit. Dolcetto, Piedmont’s other important red grape, is usually ready within a couple of years of release.
White wines, while less ubiquitous here, should not be missed. Key Piedmont wine varieties include Arneis, Cortese, Timorasso, Erbaluce and the sweet, charming Muscat, responsible for the brilliantly recognizable, Moscato d'Asti.