2003 Barbaresco Rabajà

Giuseppe Cortese is a traditionally minded producer operating out of the Rabajà zone in Barbaresco. The Cortese wines are classically styled and structured as is evident even in the Dolcetto and Barbera bottlings. Overall quality is quite high and this producer's wines offer good value relative to the other top-notch wines in the area. Pierluigi Cortese told me that in order to keep his 2003 Barbaresco as fresh as possible he did a shorter fermentation than normal. He also used larger casks than he has in past vintages and reduced the amount of time the wine spent in oak. Those decisions seem to have paid off he produced one of the more successful Barbarescos of the vintage.