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elisak's Review:

Barrique barbera. High acid and alcohol and a distinct black olive taste. Nose: Toasty oak & violets.

elisak's Review:

According to Rare Wine Company: Historically, the most famous Giacosa cru bottling has been his extraordinary Barbaresco "Santo Stefano di Neive," first made in 1964 from grapes purchased from the vineyard's sole owner, the Castello di Neive. The commune of Neive's soils have a high proportion of clay and produce powerful and structured Barbaresco; Giacosa's Santo Stefano-whether a white label normale or a riserva from a great year-is the quintessential Neive Barbaresco.Tasting note: Difficult to assess color as I was dining at 10 Downing and lighting was low. Tepid nose of rose, mushrooms and tar. A Burgundy-like nebbiolo. Earth, white truffles and muted cherry fruit on the palate. Opened up very, very demurely. Moderate alcohol, moderate body, with softened and integrated tannins and an unyielding acidic structure. Beautifully balanced but a bit light on concentration and intensity given the bottle age. Very complex. I love old nebbiolo but wish that had it retained some additional depth, vibrancy and power. A considerable amount of sediment remained. Although a very fine quality, this Barbaresco had already begun its descent at least a decade ago and my tasting only captured a portion of its previous glory. I would drink now all bottles now. 01/13/2009.From Vinfolio: U.S. Retail Avg. $1,699.99/btl, Auction Avg $1,504.00/btl

elisak's Review:

A tawny color with a brick rim. Leather, licorce and earth suggest a old world wine. Notes of cedarbox suggest the use of French oak. Medium plus body, high acidity, medium plus alcohol, medium tannins, with dried fruit chracter. Like tempranillo in its tobacco leaf almost savory quality but tempranillo would have more tannins and is lower in acidity. Well balanced with medium plus intensity, medium plus length, medium plus concentration, with a high complexity and a medium plus finish suggests a higher quality sangiovese such as a Brunello di Montalcino. Drink now ideally but would age for 3-5 additional years.