Giuseppe Cortese Rabaja Barbaresco 2017
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Somm Note
Winemaker 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.
This Barbaresco pairs well with roasted meat or wild game dishes.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2017 Barbaresco Rabaja' is smoky, with notes of licorice, red plum, and stony earth. Generous fresh cherry fruit fills the palate up front, with dried bitter herbs and saline minerality. It has an elegant structure and a streamlined mouthfeel, with fine tannins and freshness on the finish. Drink 2022-2036.
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James Suckling
The floral character to the ripe, pretty fruit is very persuasive, as is the minerality to the wine. Medium to full body, very fine tannins and a long, flavorful finish. Really racy and fine-grained
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Wine Enthusiast
Classic Nebbiolo aromas of rose, violet and woodland berry shape the enticing nose along with whiffs of truffle and crushed mint. Full bodied and elegantly structured, the smooth, delicious palate boasts juicy black cherry, crushed raspberry, star anise and Alpine herb alongside velvety tannins. Surprisingly fresh acidity for the hot vintage keeps it beautifully balanced.
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Wine Spectator
An elegant red, full of cherry, strawberry, mint and earth notes. Firm and balanced, with lively acidity driving the mouthwatering finish. Chalky tannins leave a tactile impression.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Because no Riserva was bottled in 2017, Rabajà fruit went to this wine instead. The Giuseppe Cortese 2017 Barbaresco Rabajà offers tart fruit aromas of white cherry, red currant and blue flower. There are pretty dustings of crushed stone, light smoke and camphor ash. This is a lean and silky wine that offers a streamlined mouthfeel framed by linear and powdery tannins. The wine sees fruit sourced from a larger span of the Rabajà cru, spanning some four hectares. The finished wine ages in Slavonian oak casks for 22 months, plus 14 months in glass
Other Vintages
2020-
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From its 8 hectares of vineyards located in the middle of “Rabajà”, a historical cru in the Barbaresco area, Azienda Agricola Giuseppe Cortese vinifies and produces high quality wines from three generations .The Rabaja’ cru enjoys southwesterly exposure and the very best in terms of microclimate, soil and ripening, creating a product which comprises all the characteristics of a great wine.
Azienda Agricola Cortese wines are produced according to winemaking tradition using the latest technology: wines aged in Slavonian oak, wines stored in underground cellars at perfectly suitable temperatures in order to maintain the aroma and taste that characterise top quality products.
Recently the family has also opened a panoramic bed & breakfast nestled among the vineyards, these one offers one of the most striking views of the Rabajà.
Responsible for some of the most elegant and age-worthy wines in the world, Nebbiolo, named for the ubiquitous autumnal fog (called nebbia in Italian), is the star variety of northern Italy’s Piedmont region. Grown throughout the area, as well as in the neighboring Valle d’Aosta and Valtellina, it reaches its highest potential in the Piedmontese villages of Barolo, Barbaresco and Roero. Outside of Italy, growers are still very much in the experimentation stage but some success has been achieved in parts of California. Somm Secret—If you’re new to Nebbiolo, start with a charming, wallet-friendly, early-drinking Langhe Nebbiolo or Nebbiolo d'Alba.
A wine that most perfectly conveys the spirit and essence of its place, Barbaresco is true reflection of terroir. Its star grape, like that in the neighboring Barolo region, is Nebbiolo. Four townships within the Barbaresco zone can produce Barbaresco: the actual village of Barbaresco, as well as Neive, Treiso and San Rocco Seno d'Elvio.
Broadly speaking there are more similarities in the soils of Barbaresco and Barolo than there are differences. Barbaresco’s soils are approximately of the same two major soil types as Barolo: blue-grey marl of the Tortonion epoch, producing more fragile and aromatic characteristics, and Helvetian white yellow marl, which produces wines with more structure and tannins.
Nebbiolo ripens earlier in Barbaresco than in Barolo, primarily due to the vineyards’ proximity to the Tanaro River and lower elevations. While the wines here are still powerful, Barbaresco expresses a more feminine side of Nebbiolo, often with softer tannins, delicate fruit and an elegant perfume. Typical in a well-made Barbaresco are expressions of rose petal, cherry, strawberry, violets, smoke and spice. These wines need a few years before they reach their peak, the best of which need over a decade or longer. Bottle aging adds more savory characteristics, such as earth, iron and dried fruit.