2016 Giuseppe Cortese Barbaresco Rabaja
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Tasting notes
The 2016 Barbaresco Rabajà is fresh, vibrant and pulsing with energy, all signatures of this important Barbaresco vintage. Sweet red cherry, tobacco, smoke, dried herbs and menthol are all wonderfully alive in the glass. This is such an expressive and vivid wine. Layers of aromatic and flavor intensity really come alive with aeration.
Critic scores
Walter Speller, jancisrobinson.com
James Suckling
More reviews and scores
There are some playful, cake-like aromas here of cherry pastries, cast among a forest of cedar and cypress; they pave the way for fruitier notes of dried plums and orange peel. The acidity tension is spot-on, drawing a crystal-clear line between the undulating tannins and dynamic red fruit. The center palate is resolute and foursquare. Drink from 2022.
I am not confident regarding the state of my samples for the 2016 Barbaresco Rabajà. I suspect there are hints of something related to Brettanomyces or an old barrel that are very subtle at the moment but could worsen over time. Traditionally, this Barbaresco that sees 22 months in Slavonian oak has produced some great vintages, with very interesting notes of tar, leather and licorice, but I found less of all that here. Some 11,000 bottles were made. This historic wine was first released with the 1971 vintage.
Barbaresco. Tasted blind. Mid ruby with orange tinges. Earthy, minerally cherry nose which becomes more focused with aeration. Bags of coating tannins and perfectly balanced by succulent cherry fruit. Very firmly structured, persistent and long. Embryonic and not to be approached for a while. (WS)