Fratelli Giacosa is an amazing success story that began back in 1895 when Giuseppe Giacosa bought his very first vineyard.  Giuseppe and his three brothers each went their own way career-wise but Giuseppe wanted to honor his family roots in the Alba region by purchasing a vineyard and making wine.  Problem was, he had little to no money to get started, even though he already had his eye on a desirable site in Neive that was currently for sale.  The story goes that one night he had a dream that inspired him to buy a lottery ticket, which, of course, he did the very next day.  It was the winning ticket in the National Lottery and the beginning of his lifelong career as a winemaker!  Five generations later and farming vineyards throughout the Langhe region, Fratelli Giacosa is still going strong, making wine from the region’s top varieties, i.e. Arneis, Cortese, Chardonnay, Dolcetto, Barbera and Nebbiolo (Barolo and Barbaresco).  The domaine is blessed to have a high proportion of old vines among the 50 hectares of vineyards they now own.  All of their wines are classically made; the reds with rustic character and firm, polished structures and the whites with fresh, flowery aromas and lush fruit flavors. I was particularly taken with their Roero Arneis, sourced from hillside vineyards on the left bank of the Tanaro River, where the sandy soils yield wines of pronounced bouquets and mouth-filling textures. The 2022 Fratelli Giacosa Roero Arneis is fragrant of spring flowers, ripe melons and stone fruit with a generous palate and a bright, lively finish.  It’s easy to see why the Roero district is so famous for this popular white variety and why Fratelli Giacosa has such a strong following for this wine and others.  You’ll find that Roero Arneis is a wonderful, warm-weather white wine, superb with seafood (grilled octopus comes to mind), mild cheeses, vegetables, soup, salads and much more.  -Frank Rothstein, PRIMA Minister of Value