The 2001 Barolo Riserva Le Rocche del Falletto di Serralunga is without question one of the wines of the night. Deep, resonant and exquisite, the 2001 marries elegance with power. Huge tannins wrap around a core of dark fruit, spice, leather, gravel, cured meats, melted road tar, rose petals and licorice. Phenomenal in its balance and ravishing intensity, the 2001 Riserva is off the charts. Aside from possibly the 2004, the Giacosa family has not equaled the 2001 since. (AG)

The 2001 Falletto Riserva from Bruno Giacosa remains a young wine, but it is starting to stir at age twenty and it will not be too much longer before it emerges to really begin drinking with the generosity of maturity. The bouquet is already superb, wafting from the glass in a mix of sappy cherries, white truffles, a touch of road tar, a gorgeous base of soil tones, celery seed and a pungent topnote of roses. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, focused and potentially very sappy at the core, with fine focus and grip, still plenty of ripe, seamless tannins and a very, very long, complex and utterly refined finish. This wine will probably start to taste really good with some extended decanting time in about five or six years, but try to hold off opening up bottles until at least 2030 and really let the magic unfold in all its glory.

The 2001 Barolo Riserva Le Rocche del Falletto is unbelievably reticent, which is hardly surprising considering how massive the wine was when it was relased. Readers will have to be especially patient here. The 2001 is best forgotten about for a number of years. (AG)