23 Jun update Franco Ziliani suggests that those who can read Italian might like to read this alternative explanation on his site, translated into English here. Dante Scaglione was the Giacosas' oenologist for 16 years. Now the new oenologist is Giorgio Lavagna, past oenologist of Batasiolo winery in La Morra.
There has been some confusion following the statement from Bruno Giacosa, the much-admired Piemontese producer (seen here with his vivacious daughter Bruna), that the estate will not be bottling and selling the 2006 vintage. Some have taken this to mean that there are doubts about the general quality of the vintage. UK importers Armit have just released the following clarification:
2006 was a difficult year for Bruno Giacosa. He suffered a serious stroke which resulted in his being absent from both the vineyards and cellar for most of the year and into the beginning of 2007.
Although 2006 was overall a fine vintage in Piedmont, now that Bruno is in a position to judge the quality of the wines personally, he is not satisfied that the Barolo’s and Barbaresco’s produced at Giacosa meet his exacting standards.
He has taken the brave and, we think, highly honourable decision not to bottle these wines, which is clearly a considerable financial sacrifice.
Bruno’s decision underlines the remarkable recovery he has made. He is now back fully involved, alongside new winemaker Giorgio Lavagna, and after a clearly difficult period, the focus on quality remains as strong as ever at Giacosa.
As a result of the decision with the 2006s, we now plan to release the 2007 Barbaresco wines in February/ March 2010.