Barbaresco Asili, Bruno Giacosa 2001

Giacosa’s 2001 Barbaresco Asili graces the palate with dried rose petals, sweet tobacco, incense, smoke and orange peel. Just entering the early part of its drinking window, the 2001 is utterly mesmerizing in the glass. It is a bit more tannic than the 2007. At this stage, I would let the 2001 develop more complexity in the cellar. The Giacosa Asili is a wine best tasted young or with a decade plus of bottle age because the years between those stages can be a bit awkward. Still, the 2001 is magnificent.

What a pleasure it was to taste the 2001 Barbaresco Asili. The nose is expressive, with well-delineated notes of spices, flowers and tar that meld seamlessly onto an irresistible palate packed with vibrant layers of sweet ripe fruit with an open, generous personality. This wine is showing a wonderful sense of inner purity right now and will be even better in a few years, although its qualities are abundantly apparent even at this early stage. A great effort. An Azienda Agricola Falletto di Bruno Giacosa bottling. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2021