A wine of exceptional provenance and rarity, this Riserva hails from Giacomo Borgogno & Figli, one of the oldest and most historically significant estates in Barolo, founded in 1761 and long regarded as a custodian of the appellation's traditional style. The 1997 vintage is held by critics and collectors alike as among the finest of the modern era in Piedmont — a warm, generous growing season that produced wines of exceptional ripeness, structure and longevity, now approaching three decades of age with grace.

Sourced from the estate's most storied crus — Cannubi, Liste and Fossati — this Riserva was vinified through a long, spontaneous fermentation in cement tanks using indigenous yeasts, followed by an extended submerged-cap maceration. The wine was then aged for approximately six years in large Slavonian oak botti before a further period of bottle ageing prior to release, in keeping with Borgogno's uncompromising, old-school approach to Barolo.

In the glass, the wine now shows the deep garnet hue with pronounced amber and orange reflections characteristic of a fully mature, well-cellared Nebbiolo of this age. The nose is ethereal and layered, offering the classic "tar and roses" signature of aged Barolo alongside dried cherry, dark rose petal, leather, tobacco leaf, forest floor and a faint trace of liquorice and dried herb. On the palate it is dry, harmonious and velvety, carrying a full-bodied yet finely resolved structure — the once-formidable Nebbiolo tannins now silked by decades in bottle, framed by bright, well-integrated acidity and an austere, lingering finish of remarkable persistence.

• Varietal: Nebbiolo
• Region: Piedmont, Italy
  
• Appellation: Barolo DOCG
• Vintage: 1997
• ABV: 14% 
• Size: 750ml