Giuseppe Cortese Barbaresco Rabaja 2018

In their words -   Traditional version of the great Cru: a wine featuring structure, elegance and a personality of its own.

Barbaresco Rabajà is our most important wine and has an intense and ethereal perfume with fresh notes that evolve into scents of spices, tobacco and brushwood notes as it ages. A dry, full and robust flavour with a rich and harmonious structure; garnet red colour.

Critics thoughts -  Editors' Choice “Fragrant and loaded with finesse, this stunner opens with enticing scents of rose, violet, perfumed berry and camphor. Smooth and extremely elegant, the vibrant, savory palate features juicy red cherry, blood orange and crushed raspberry while star anise and mineral notes suggesting rusty nail—and that’s a good thing—add depth. Bright acidity and lithe tannins lend balance and seamless support. It’s all about elegance and energy.”  96 points Wine Enthusiast

Bright and clean, with minerals, mint and flowers complicating notes of raspberry and other red berries. There’s a hint of citrus fruit here that is usually more typical of Rabajà wines at 5 years of age or more, but that in my experience appears sooner in cooler years (and sure enough, here it is!). Very clean, very juicy and smooth, there is a sneaky concentration that is remarkable for the vintage, though this is quite accessible already now. I was not surprised when Cortese told me he almost opted to age it longer and turn it into a Barbaresco Riserva. In ultimate analysis, I think he made the right decision, but I can certainly see why this beauty tempted him to go the Riserva route. Readers might want to make a note to latch onto any bottles of this beauty they can find, because it is a Barbaresco Classico that punches way above its weight category. Drinking window: 2026-2045.  95 points Terroir Sense

Already exuding complexity on the nose. The red fruit is colored with a variety of nuances, from dry earth and mild spice to flower petals and light citrus notes. Medium-bodied with well-integrated tannins that sink into the fruit mid palate but re-emerge right at the end to give a firm finish. Despite that, the fruit drive is relentless. Needs time to even out. It will gain more breadth, too. Exceptional Barbaresco that highlights the excellence of the terroir here. Try from 2024.  95 points James Suckling