2018 Barbaresco Rabaja
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Tasting notes
The 2018 Barbaresco Rabajà expresses all of its classicism and nuance in an ethereal, nervy style that is going to need at least a few years in bottle to unwind. Readers will notice a Rabajà that is more finesse than muscle, the direction these wines have trended in over the last few years. Sage, mint, tobacco, licorice and incense are laced into the resonant finish.
Critic scores
Average Score
Walter Speller, jancisrobinson.com
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Barbaresco. Tasted blind. Just mid ruby with orange tinges. Subdued and a little closed with a hint of leather. Supple and ripe fruit balanced by lots of coating tannins. Perfect balance and multi-layered with great length. Lots of appeal and can already be approached. (WS)
Giuseppe Cortese's 2018 Barbaresco Rabajà is fresh and vibrant with a tonic, almost electric personality. The wine shows the kind of freshness you get from mineral-rich soils that translate to both the bouquet and the palate. There are points of sour cherry and bramble with rusty nail and some tart orange zest. This release of 17,000 bottles is probably the most successful wine from this estate that I have reviewed over the years.
The 2018 Barbaresco Rabajà is surprisingly accessible for a wine that tends to be much more backward in the early going. Spice, blood orange and star anise give the aromatics tremendous expansiveness. On the palate, the 2018 is pliant and sweet, with lovely purity in its red-toned fruit. I am intrigued to see how it develops in bottle.