2011 Barbaresco Riserva Rabajà 

The quiet transformation that has taken place at Produttori del Barbaresco in recent years is nothing short of remarkable. Far from a sleepy, old-fashioned cooperative winery, the Produttori have stepped up their game big time over the last decade or so. The new winery is decked out with gleaming fermentation tanks, while old, large casks have been put out to pasture, replaced by medium size casks that are far more practical. The wines remain reference-points, though, especially in years in which the Produttori make their flagship Riservas. Longtime Managing Director Aldo Vacca describes 2012 as a year with poor weather during flowering, a blast of heat in early August, little sun throughout the summer and rain before harvest, not exactly ideal conditions. As a result, the Produttori did not bottle their Riservas in 2012. Vintage 2011 is an outlier, as it, too, is a warm vintage, yet the wines have retained much of their personalities because evening temperatures moderated in the weeks leading up to harvest, which allowed each of the vineyards to develop their signatures. The Produttori's Riservas remain some of the greatest values in the realm of fine, cellar worthy reds.