Galloni: “Pure Seduction...Don't Miss It”

97-point Barbaresco from one of Italys greatest vineyards

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One of the Best Wines of the Vintage

2020 Giuseppe Cortese Rabaja Barbaresco Piedmont

Rabaj is one of Italys crown jewel vineyards. Its one of just three sites in Barbaresco that Vinous rates as Exceptional, their highest classification. They note it produces epic, structured Barbarescoswhich means the price of entry is usually steep: Produttori del Barbarescos relatively humble example is $80+. Giacosas bottling will blow a $250-sized hole in your wallet.But in 2020, Giuseppe Cortese produced one of the best wines of the vintage from the site, earning 97 points from longtime Wine Enthusiast Italy chief Kerin OKeefeand its one of the most affordable Rabajs out there. As Antonio Galloni told his readers in his rave 95-point review: Its a total knock-out thats pure seduction...Don't miss it.

97 Kerin O'Keefe | 95 Vinous

$69.99

$55 per bottle

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One of Italys Greatest Vineyards

Its nearly impossible to overdo the praise for Barbarescos Rabaj cru.Its one of the most important vineyards planted to Nebbiolo, a crown jewel of Barbaresco and one of just three sites in the area that Vinous rates as Exceptional, their highest classification. They note it produces epic, structured Barbarescos that are famously long lived.Rabaj wines also tend to cost a mint: In Produttori del Barbarescos vast lineup of single-vineyard wines, youll pay a top-of-the-range $80. Bruno Giacosas bottlings cost upwards of $250.Those facts make Giuseppe Corteses 2020 Barbaresco Rabajgrown in a top-shelf vintage and bearing 97 points from longtime Wine Enthusiast editor Kerin OKeefe, who literally wrote the defining book on Barolo and Barbarescoone of the must buy bottles for any lover of serious Italian reds. The 2020 vintage is a standoutespecially for anyone who loves to drink their wines in the first decade or two of their evolution. The year was warm from winter through harvest, but almost never actually hot, so it produced wines of extreme pleasure without excess, in the words of Vinous founder Antonio Galloni. Because the vintage wont lend itself to the kind of wines that age for a half-century, Cortese decided not to bottle their famous Rabaj Riserva. Instead, they blended those lots into this bottling, making it one of the best editions in years.Giuseppe Cortese founded his winery in 1971, during the dawn of Barbarescos modern era. He had the vision to realize that the future of Piemontese wine was in vineyard ownership, not buying grapes from small farmers, as his family had done.So he bought land in Rabaj, the most prestigious vineyard in the hamlet his family called home. He also remodeled the winery, cleaning up its vinification techniques and cellar to lay the groundwork for quality, traditionally made wines for generations to come. In the 1990s, his son Pier Carlo came back from the prestigious Enological School of Alba and ratcheted the quality up yet another level, prompting Antonio Galloni to call the new wines a fine set of new releases from Cortese with much to admire.That means native-yeast fermentations in old concrete tanks, which allow for delicate oxygen transfer and expressive fruit character, while macerating the grapes for over 20 days in a traditional style. Once fermented and pressed, the Barbaresco is aged for a year and a half in large old botti, the giant oak casks that allow Nebbiolos tannins to gradually soften without imparting oak flavors.

Wine Access Tasting Note

Medium garnet with a dark core. Fresh blackberry jam, grilled herbs, leather, sage, and mint on the nose. The fresh and rich aromas have impressive density. The palate follows with black cherry liqueur, cranberry preserves, lavender, mushroom stock, and spearmint. Utterly classic in flavor and texture, with sturdy tannins, juicy acidity, and a long floral finish. A wine to open on a cool night and pair with ossobuco, butternut squash risotto, or tagliarini with a healthy dose of truffles. Drink now2038.

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