The 2016 Barbaresco Asili Riserva, packaged in the distinctive red label that Giacosa reserved exclusively for vintages of exceptional quality, is widely described as the greatest Asili Riserva produced in the post-Bruno Giacosa era and one of the finest red wines made anywhere in Italy in the 2016 vintage. James Suckling awarded the wine 100 points, describing it as “really muscular and really powerful” and asking whether it might be “the greatest Barbaresco ever from here”. Wine Advocate awarded 97+ points, describing the wine as “a rich and profound wine with incredible depth and dimension” that reminded Bruna Giacosa of the estate’s legendary 2001 and 2004 Asili vintages. Wine Spectator awarded 97 points. In the magnum format, this wine will develop at the pace that the finest Barolo and Barbaresco magnums have always achieved: more slowly, more completely and more magnificently than the equivalent 75cl expression.

The Asili vineyard in Barbaresco is one of the most historically celebrated crus in the appellation, planted on calcareous clay soils with a sandy vein on the mid-slope above the village, producing Nebbiolo of exceptional elegance, floral intensity and silky texture that is consistently described as the most ‘feminine’ and immediately complex of the Barbaresco crus. Giacosa’s 2.5 hectares of Asili are among the most carefully farmed in the zone, and the red-label Riserva designation is applied only when the vintage and the wine justify the additional years of ageing required before release. Bruna Giacosa made the 2016 Asili Riserva because, as she stated, the quality reminded her of the estate’s greatest historical Asili vintages, a statement that should be read as the clearest possible signal of this wine’s exceptional nature.

Three Giacosa Riserva wines appear in this batch, spanning three distinct and outstanding vintages: the 2014 (the last classic vintage under Bruno Giacosa), the 2016 (the first great Riserva under Bruna Giacosa’s direction) and the 2017 Le Rocche in Batch 14. The 2016 Asili Magnum is among the most important Italian wine acquisitions of the current decade and will remain so for decades to come.

Garnet with an extraordinary nose of violet, rose, cherry liqueur, dried orange peel, camphor, fine spice and the silky mineral elegance that defines the Asili cru above all other Barbaresco sites. Full-bodied with supremely fine, silky tannins of great depth and integration, electric natural acidity and a finish of mesmerising length and floral persistence. Best from 2030 through 2070.

This is really muscular and really powerful. It is amazing. The greatest Barbaresco ever from here? I love the strength with fruit finesse. I don’t remember tasting a young Asili like this. Give this a lot of time to come together. One for the cellar. Try after 2026. — James Suckling

A rich and profound wine with incredible depth and dimension. This wine is incredibly precise and sharp; however, the volume and generous fruit weight promises a long ageing future. The wine majestically captures the elegance and the power of this iconic vintage. — Wine Advocate