I suspect over the years I have had more than my fair share of the 1989 Barolo Riserva Collina Rionda. After all, there were only 2,838 bottles produced. Still, I never fail to be utterly seduced by this transcendental, emotionally moving Barolo. The Rionda isn’t Giacosa’s most powerful wine, rather it is a Barolo built on elegance. Impossibly fine, silky tannins frame subtle, yet incredibly vivid aromatics that meld into a gorgeous core of violets, roses, tar, licorice and minerals. Still incredibly fresh, this towering Barolo has another 20+ years of life ahead. It remains Giacosa’s foremost masterpiece and one of the greatest wines ever made. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2030.Bruno Giacosa’s wines are well represented in my personal cellar, which was the source for the vast majority of these bottles. I have had the good fortune to taste all of Giacosa’s 1989s and 1990s from multiple sources over the last year, and therefore can report that these notes are representative of what readers can expect from well-stored bottles. I consider 1989 and 1990 – along with 1978, 1982, 1996, 2001, 2004 and 2007 – to be among Giacosa’s finest vintages. The bevy of Red Label Riservas in this article says it all. In 1989 and 1990 Giacosa produced an immense number of legendary wines. In fact, he is one of the very few producers who did exceptionally well in both years. In general the 1989s are a touch more layered and nuanced, while the 1990s are impressive for their massive concentration. If forced to state a preference, I would say 1990 gets the nod for its consistency from top to bottom, even if few of those wines reach the sublime heights of the very finest 1989s. Still, these are relatively small distinctions at this high level. Readers who have the opportunity to taste any of these wines should not think twice. By the late 1980s Giacosa had begun to move towards an enlightened traditional style with the introduction of the French oak casks he now uses exclusively. Fermentations and barrel aging, however, remained very much within the framework of traditional winemaking, resulting in a combination that was electric. Readers will note that many of Giacosa’s Red Label Riservas during this time were made in small lots (such as the 1990 Asili and 1989 Collina Rionda), and that for practical purposes those wines were aged in medium-size casks rather than large casks.

The 1989s look to be superb Barolos.The 1989 Barolo Rionda Riserva (red label) from the famous vineyard in Serralunga offers a gorgeously sweet, opulently expansive nose of cedar, black and red fruits, spices, tobacco, tar, and smoke. Magnificently rich, with layers of nearly over-ripe black-cherry fruit, this unctuously thick, full-bodied, tannic wine needs at least 5-6 years of cellaring; it should last for 20-30 years.Giacosa has always produced some of Italy's greatest Barolos. Made in an enlightened traditional style and meant for long-term cellaring, these can be austere and backward early in life. Yet they are sure bets to develop magnificently, usually peaking at age 15 or 20. It is refreshing that Bruno Giacosa, the quiet and dignified winemaking genius of Neive, is the least promotion-conscious winemaker in Italy. Justifiably, he prefers to let his wines do the talking for him.Importer: Vinifera Imports, Ronkonkoma, NY.