2016 Barbaresco Riserva Rabajà

Wine Details
Place of Origin

Italy

Barbaresco Riserva

Piedmont

Color

Red

Grape/Blend

Nebbiolo

Reviews & Tasting Notes

00

Drinking Window

2024 - 2041

Subscriber Access Only

or Sign Up

You'll Find The Article Name Here

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Integer vitae aliquam odio. Aliquam purus diam, tempor et consectetur vitae, eleifend ac quam. Proin nec mauris ac odio iaculis semper. Integer posuere pharetra aliquet. Nullam tincidunt sagittis est in maximus. Donec sem orci, vulputate ac quam non, consectetur fermentum diam. In dignissim magna id orci dignissim convallis. Integer sit amet placerat dui. Aliquam pharetra ornare nulla at vulputate. Sed dictum, mi eget fringilla lacinia, nisl tortor condimentum mi, vitae ultrices quam diam ac neque. Donec hendrerit vulputate felis, fringilla varius massa.

- By Author Name on Month Date, Year

This is a fine set of new releases from Cortese. The entry-level wines are terrific, a theme that continues through to the Barbarescos. Readers who enjoy structured, traditionally build wines will find much to admire. As has been the case for a few years now, the wines seem to be gaining in finesse, which is always great to see.

00

Drinking Window

2026 - 2036

Subscriber Access Only

or Sign Up

You'll Find The Article Name Here

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Integer vitae aliquam odio. Aliquam purus diam, tempor et consectetur vitae, eleifend ac quam. Proin nec mauris ac odio iaculis semper. Integer posuere pharetra aliquet. Nullam tincidunt sagittis est in maximus. Donec sem orci, vulputate ac quam non, consectetur fermentum diam. In dignissim magna id orci dignissim convallis. Integer sit amet placerat dui. Aliquam pharetra ornare nulla at vulputate. Sed dictum, mi eget fringilla lacinia, nisl tortor condimentum mi, vitae ultrices quam diam ac neque. Donec hendrerit vulputate felis, fringilla varius massa.

- By Author Name on Month Date, Year

Two-thousand nineteen is an especially fine vintage at Cortese. The wines are deep, layered and super-expressive. Gabriele Occhetti describes 2019 as a late-ripening year, with a harvest that started in mid-October. The 2020s, on the other hand, strike me as a bit less even. There is some edginess in the tannin that is probably the result of less favorable conditions during the growing season. There will be no Riserva in 2020. As always, winemaking here is pretty bare-bones. Fermentations are spontaneous. The wines see fairly long fermentation/maceration, which can reach as much as 30-40 days on the skins for the Riserva. All the Barbarescos are aged in cask; about 18 months for the Barbaresco, 22 for the Rabajà and 48 for the Riserva.

00

Drinking Window

2026 - 2038

Subscriber Access Only

or Sign Up

You'll Find The Article Name Here

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Integer vitae aliquam odio. Aliquam purus diam, tempor et consectetur vitae, eleifend ac quam. Proin nec mauris ac odio iaculis semper. Integer posuere pharetra aliquet. Nullam tincidunt sagittis est in maximus. Donec sem orci, vulputate ac quam non, consectetur fermentum diam. In dignissim magna id orci dignissim convallis. Integer sit amet placerat dui. Aliquam pharetra ornare nulla at vulputate. Sed dictum, mi eget fringilla lacinia, nisl tortor condimentum mi, vitae ultrices quam diam ac neque. Donec hendrerit vulputate felis, fringilla varius massa.

- By Author Name on Month Date, Year

The 2018s and 2019s at Cortese are terrific. In the 2018s, readers will find Barbarescos that reflect the lighter style of the year. There will be no Riserva. Two-thousand nineteen, on the other hand, is a much stronger year. The wines are richer, deeper and more layered across the board, from the straight Barbaresco through to the very promising Riserva. As always, the wines are fermented in cement. Malos are spontaneous and usually take place in winter. Aging is in cask, typically 18 months for the Barbaresco, 22 for the Rabajà and 48 for the Riserva.

00

Drinking Window

2024 - 2036

Subscriber Access Only

or Sign Up

You'll Find The Article Name Here

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Integer vitae aliquam odio. Aliquam purus diam, tempor et consectetur vitae, eleifend ac quam. Proin nec mauris ac odio iaculis semper. Integer posuere pharetra aliquet. Nullam tincidunt sagittis est in maximus. Donec sem orci, vulputate ac quam non, consectetur fermentum diam. In dignissim magna id orci dignissim convallis. Integer sit amet placerat dui. Aliquam pharetra ornare nulla at vulputate. Sed dictum, mi eget fringilla lacinia, nisl tortor condimentum mi, vitae ultrices quam diam ac neque. Donec hendrerit vulputate felis, fringilla varius massa.

- By Author Name on Month Date, Year

This is a gorgeous set of wines from Giuseppe Cortese. Gabriele Occhetti describes 2018 as a year without weather shocks and harvest that wrapped up during the first half of October. I tasted three wines. The straight Barbaresco is a blend of fruit from Trifolera and lots of Rabajà that don’t go into the vineyard designate. It sees about 18 months in oak. The Rabajà bottling gets a few more months in barrel. There is no Riserva Rabajà in 2018, but there likely will be in both 2019 and 2020. I also had a chance to taste the 2016 Riserva, which was just bottled a few months ago. These remain very much classically built wines with natural fermentations (both primary and secondary) and a generally minimalist approach in the cellar.

00

Drinking Window

2023 - 2041

Subscriber Access Only

or Sign Up

You'll Find The Article Name Here

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Integer vitae aliquam odio. Aliquam purus diam, tempor et consectetur vitae, eleifend ac quam. Proin nec mauris ac odio iaculis semper. Integer posuere pharetra aliquet. Nullam tincidunt sagittis est in maximus. Donec sem orci, vulputate ac quam non, consectetur fermentum diam. In dignissim magna id orci dignissim convallis. Integer sit amet placerat dui. Aliquam pharetra ornare nulla at vulputate. Sed dictum, mi eget fringilla lacinia, nisl tortor condimentum mi, vitae ultrices quam diam ac neque. Donec hendrerit vulputate felis, fringilla varius massa.

- By Author Name on Month Date, Year

This is a very pretty set of wines from Cortese. The estate recently introduced a straight Barbaresco to complement the flagship wines from Rabajà. Cortese did a terrific job with their 2017s. Not surprisingly, there is no Riserva in 2017. I also found plenty to admire in the 2016 and 2013 Barbarescos I tasted, wines from more favorable years that deliver on the promise of those vintages. As always, the Barbarescos are aged in cask and are classically leaning in feel.

00

Subscriber Access Only

or Sign Up

You'll Find The Article Name Here

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Integer vitae aliquam odio. Aliquam purus diam, tempor et consectetur vitae, eleifend ac quam. Proin nec mauris ac odio iaculis semper. Integer posuere pharetra aliquet. Nullam tincidunt sagittis est in maximus. Donec sem orci, vulputate ac quam non, consectetur fermentum diam. In dignissim magna id orci dignissim convallis. Integer sit amet placerat dui. Aliquam pharetra ornare nulla at vulputate. Sed dictum, mi eget fringilla lacinia, nisl tortor condimentum mi, vitae ultrices quam diam ac neque. Donec hendrerit vulputate felis, fringilla varius massa.

- By Author Name on Month Date, Year

I was deeply impressed with the wines I tasted at Cortese this year. Two thousand fifteen and 2016 are both shaping up to be strong at this address. In 2015, Cortese did not make a Riserva, but readers can look forward to both the straight Barbaresco Rabajà and Riserva in 2016, a year that is shaping up to be terrific here. As always, the Cortese Barbarescos are classically inspired and built.