Giuseppe Cortese Rabajà Barbaresco Riserva

Barbaresco Rabajà Riserva DOCG bottle image

Wine Description

This wine is made only in the finest vintages. The grapes are selected from the oldest vines in the prestigious Rabajà cru. After traditional vinification, the wine is aged for 40 months, and refined for an additional three years in bottle before release. This prolonged aging period ensures the perfect balance of tannins, body, fruit and acidity, resulting in a wine with great personality and refinement.

Piercarlo and Giuseppe Cortese
Giuseppe Cortese Vineyard and Estate
Giuseppe Cortese Wine Cellar
Giuseppe Cortese Barbera Grapes
Cortese Family
Giueseppe Cortese Cantina
Giueseppe Cortese Bed and Breakfast
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Acclaim
“The 2016 Barbaresco Riserva Rabajà is stellar. Just starting to open aromatically, the 2016 is superb in this tasting. Sweet macerated cherry, spice, new leather, tobacco and dried herbs all grace the 2016 with notable aromatic complexity. As always, the Riserva is an ethereal, engaging wine with less immediacy and mid-palate than the other Barbarescos here, but in exchange tons of nuance. This is the best showing yet for the 2016, a wine that satisfies both the hedonistic and intellectual senses.” — Vinous, Oct 2023
“The Giuseppe Cortese 2016 Barbaresco Riserva Rabajà is a late release and one I am sure this winery is quite happy to see go to market given the hype surrounding this excellent vintage. There is a very pretty smoothness here, both in terms of the aromatic delivery and the mouthfeel, which shows how nicely Nebbiolo can reach balance. The bouquet is lithe and delicate with wild berry, crushed rose petal, white licorice and campfire ash.”
— Wine Advocate, Aug 2023
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Vineyard & Production Info
Production area/appellation:
Barbaresco DOCG
Vineyard name
Barbaresco/The Rabajà vineyard
Vineyard size
10 acres
Soil composition
Calcareous clay
Training method
Guyot
Elevation:
900 feet
Vines/acre:
1,800
Yield/acre:
2.4 tons
Exposure:
Southern/Southwestern
Year vineyard planted:
1953
Harvest time:
October
First vintage of this wine:
1971
Bottles produced of this wine:
5,200
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Winemaking & Aging
Maceration length:
20-25
Varietal composition:
100% Nebbiolo
Fermentation container:
Stainless steel tanks
Length of alcoholic fermentation:
10-12 days
Fermentation temperature:
84 °F
Malolactic fermentation:
Yes
Type of aging container:
Barrels
Size of aging container:
1,600-2,500 L
Type of oak:
French and Slavonian oak
Length of aging before bottling:
4 years
Age of Aging Container:
New-9 years old
Length of bottle aging:
3 years
Total SO2
106
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Analytical Data
pH level:
3.4
Acidity:
6.1 g/L
Alcohol:
14.5 %
Dry extract:
32.3 g/L
Total SO2
106
Residual sugar:
0.5 g/L