Giuseppe Cortese

Rabajà Barbaresco

Nebbiolo

Giuseppe Cortese

Rabajà Barbaresco

Nebbiolo

This wine is made entirely from Nebbiolo grapes grown in Barbaresco's prestigious Rabajà vineyard, located in the Langhe hills just to the south of Cortese’s winery. To achieve the perfect structural balance, the wine is aged for twenty-two months in seasoned Slavonian oak casks, then bottled and cellared for an additional thirteen months.

Tasting Notes

Unfiltered to preserve its richness, this remarkably elegant Barbaresco offers concentrated aromas of raspberries, roses, violets, leather and spice. Full-bodied with robust flavor and firm tannins.

Food Pairing

This Barbaresco pairs well with roasted meat or wild game dishes.

This wine is made entirely from Nebbiolo grapes grown in Barbaresco's prestigious Rabajà vineyard, located in the Langhe hills just to the south of Cortese’s winery. To achieve the perfect structural balance, the wine is aged for twenty-two months in seasoned Slavonian oak casks, then bottled and cellared for an additional thirteen months.

Tasting Notes

Unfiltered to preserve its richness, this remarkably elegant Barbaresco offers concentrated aromas of raspberries, roses, violets, leather and spice. Full-bodied with robust flavor and firm tannins.

Food Pairing

This Barbaresco pairs well with roasted meat or wild game dishes.

Organic Practices
Old Vines

Vineyard & Production Info

Production area/appellation:
Barbaresco DOCG
Vineyard name:
The Rabajà vineyard
Vineyard size:
10 acres
Soil composition:
Calcareous Clay-Loam
Training method:
Guyot
Elevation:
900 feet
Vines/acre:
1,800
Yield/acre:
2.4 tons
Exposure:
Southern / Southwestern
Year vineyard planted:
1958-1978
Harvest time:
October
First vintage of this wine:
1971
Bottles produced of this wine:
17,000
Average Vine Age:
45

Winemaking & Aging

Time on its skins:
10
Maceration length:
20-25
Varietal composition:
100% Nebbiolo
Fermentation container:
Stainless steel tanks
Length of alcoholic fermentation:
10 days
Fermentation temperature:
84 °F
Maceration technique:
Pumpovers
Malolactic fermentation:
Yes
Type of aging container:
Barrels
Size of aging container:
17-26 hL
Type of oak:
Slavonian
Length of aging before bottling:
22 months
Age of Aging Container:
5-20 years
Length of bottle aging:
13 months
Total SO2:
82

Analytical Data

Acidity:
58 g/L
Alcohol:
145 %
Dry extract:
32.9 g/L
Total SO2:
82
Residual sugar:
4 g/L

About the Vineyard

Extending as far as the Trifolera hill, the Rabajà vineyard stretches over the crest of the hill which extends from Asili to Trifolera. Contrary to what it looks like from a distance, the Rabajà hill is not homogeneous and can be divided into two areas. The first, bordering on Asili, includes the well-positioned amphitheater that dominates the Martineng, and is mostly exposed to south-west. The second area has a more linear appearance and is exposed to south, although there are some variations due to the hill’s undulating ground. In both cases, the wine’s style is fuller in body and firmer as compared with Asili and Martinenga.