I have a complicated relationship with the Fratelli Giacosa Basarin Vigna Gianmaté. After my first sip, I contemplated pouring the remainder of the bottle down the drain. Like any good narrative, this bottle contained a plot twist with an unexpected outcome. This Barbaresco is an excellent example of a high-quality wine that doesn't show well straight from the bottle but transforms after decanting. Immediately after opening, the wine is completely out of balance, possessing an impenetrable wall of oak, vanilla, tobacco, and earth that masks any hint of fruit. I consider decanting this wine to be absolutely essential, so my tasting notes describe my experience after allowing one hour of aeration.
Decanting the wine puts the intense garnet red color on full display. There is more sediment than expected for a wine possessing less than a decade of age. The Basarin Vigna Gianmaté 2015 tastes predominantly of cherry, bolstered with an assertive background of oak and vanilla and an earthy finish. The wine is well structured with ample acidity to balance the tannins.