2005 Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Santo Stefano di Neive

BY ANTONIO GALLONI | JANUARY 18, 2022

What a thrill it is to drink Bruno Giacosa’s 2005 Barbaresco Santo Stefano di Neive. The 2005 has been consistently brilliant since I first tasted it over a dozen years ago, but I confess that I had forgotten just how captivating the 2005 is. The word ‘classic’ is over-used, but that is exactly what the 2005 is. Classic. 

Salivating acids, translucent Nebbiolo fruit, beams of tannin and mid-weight structure are the signatures of a pedigreed Barbaresco that is just captivating. The 2005 didn’t get much attention on release. Readers lucky enough to own the 2005 Santo Stefano are in for a real treat. It’s a wine that captures Giacosa and longtime winemaker Dante Scaglione at their very best. In many ways, 2005 is the last great classic Giacosa vintage. The 2007s were good, but in a different style. Since then the wines have been variable, sometimes good, sometimes less than good, and sometimes better than good. But never again moving, like this. 96/Drink 2022-2037.

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