2001 Corino Barolo Vigna Giachini

The 2001 Barolo Vigna Giachini flows across the palate with sweet scents of tobacco, flowers, licorice, red cherries and sweet herbs. Today the fruit appears to be drying out while the oak is overly prominent. Much of the balance this wine had when it was young has faded. Giachini is a site capable of yielding sweet, perfumed Pinot-like Baroli, but there isn’t a whole lot of that here. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2018. These Baroli were made around the time brothers Renato and Giuliano Corino divided their family’s estate. Today Renato makes Baroli from Arborina and Rocche at his new winery, while Giuliano’s lineup includes wines from Arborina and Giachini, bottled under the family’s Giovanni Corino label. Both brothers make and old-vines Vecchie Vigne Barolo, but from different vineyards. Renato and Giuliano Corino split the already-bottled production of their 2001 Barolo Arborina and Rocche and sold the wines under their respective labels. Readers will find both labels on the market, but the wines themselves are identical. The two 2001 Corino Vecchie Vigne Baroli were made differently in the cellar. I have listed both Vecchie Vigne Baroli separately. Various American importers, including Michael Skurnik, Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300

The 2001 Barolo Vigna Giachini, a saturated ruby, is somewhat balsamic on the nose, with notes of spices, stewed prunes and tobacco. Endowed with generous amounts of dark sweet fruit, menthol, cocoa and toasted oak flavors, it is round and soft in texture, but with serious structure underneath. It is just a shade less complete than the Rocche in 2001.

Good red-ruby. Sweet raspberry, mocha, tobacco and minerals on the very ripe nose. Fatter, richer and more pliant than the Arborina, but with no loss of inner-mouth perfume. Rich, sweet, broad and open-knit, and somehow light on its feet. Finishes with big, lush, toothcoating tannins.