Giuseppe Cortese - Barbaresco Rabaja 2019
Price: $69.99
Sale: $49.98
Producer | Giuseppe Cortese |
Country | Italy |
Region | Piedmont |
Subregion | Barbaresco |
Varietal | Nebbiolo |
Vintage | 2019 |
Sku | 82949 |
Size | 750ml |
Giuseppe Cortese Description
This wine is made entirely from Nebbiolo grapes grown in Barbaresco's prestigious Rabajà vineyard, located in the Langhe hills just to the south of Cortese’s winery. To achieve the perfect structural balance, the wine is aged for twenty-two months in seasoned Slavonian oak casks, then bottled and cellared for an additional thirteen months.
Tasting Notes
Unfiltered to preserve its richness, this remarkably elegant Barbaresco offers concentrated aromas of raspberries, roses, violets, leather and spice. Full-bodied with robust flavor and firm tannins.
Food Pairing
This Barbaresco pairs well with roasted meat or wild game dishes.
Wine Enthusiast: 96 Points
Enticing scents of blue flower, crushed mint, berry and vineyard dust form the nose along with a whiff of new leather. The firmly structured, focused palate shows cherry marinated in spirits, black raspberry and licorice alongside a backbone of fine-grained tannins. It’s well-balanced, with vibrant acidity.
Decanter: 95 Points
Giuseppe Cortese owns four hectares in Rabajà, planted 50 years ago and Guyot trained. The soil is rich in limestone and clay. Concrete fermenters were never abandoned here and today the wine matures for 22 months in Slavonian oak vessels. Restrained, almost sturdy aromas at first, an extremely vibrant wild strawberry and balsamic character in depth emerges from the glass. Plenty of layers of complexity, from tar and flowers to dried cherry, woven with firm acidity and refined tannins. Warm yet with tension and a good finish.
Wine Spectator: 95 Points
Silky and expressive, delivering cherry, strawberry, rose, white pepper and aniseed aromas and flavors. Ripe and caressing midpalate, turning firmer and taut as this winds down on the lengthy, mineral-tinged finish. Shows fine balance and good potential for aging. Best from 2025 through 2045. 1,420 cases made, 300 cases imported.
Vinous Media: 94 Points
The 2019 Barbaresco Rabaja is a powerful, austere that is going to need a number of years to come around. I very much like the energy, but readers should not plan on opening a bottle any time soon, as the 2019 is seriously tannic and shut down at the moment. It’s a gorgeous Barbaresco that shows the more elegant hand that defines the approach today. For now, though, the tannins are a bit searing.
Wine Advocate: 93 Points
With fruit from the village of Barbaresco, the 2019 Barbaresco Rabajà is glossy and bright with dried berry, cassis, aniseed and candied orange peel. This silky wine offers medium length, silky tannins and easy freshness.
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