Wine Advisor
Giuseppe Cortese, Barbaresco Rabaja 2017
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Monica Larner
Because no Riserva was bottled in 2017, Rabajà fruit went to this wine instead. The Giuseppe Cortese 2017 Barbaresco Rabajà offers tart fruit aromas of white cherry, red currant and blue flower. There are pretty dustings of crushed stone, light smoke and camphor ash. This is a lean and silky wine that offers a streamlined mouthfeel framed by linear and powdery tannins. The wine sees fruit sourced from a larger span of the Rabajà cru, spanning some four hectares. The finished wine ages in Slavonian oak casks for 22 months, plus 14 months in glass. Some 17,000 bottles will be released in September 2020.
Reviewed by: James Suckling
The floral character to the ripe, pretty fruit is very persuasive, as is the minerality to the wine. Medium to full body, very fine tannins and a long, flavorful finish. Really racy and fine-grained. Drink in 2022 and onwards.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2017 Barbaresco Rabajà is a very pretty and expressive wine. Blood orange, cedar, mint, sweet red cherry and licorice are all layered together. Medium in body, with terrific depth as well as nuance, the 2017 is understated, classy and polished to the core. In 2017, Cortese did not bottle their flagship Riserva, instead all of the best fruit went into the straight Barbaresco Rabajà. I won't be surprised if the 2017 eventually turns out even better than this note suggests. Today, it is really quite lovely. Pier Carlo Cortese gave the 2017 22 months in cask.
About the Producer
The wines of Giuseppe Cortese are every Piedmont aficionado’s dream. Located in the heart of the famous Rabajà zone, this small, family-owned winery, known for producing exquisitely balanced wines from the Barbaresco zone, is run by those who possess an intimate knowledge of the Nebbiolo grape. With profound respect and knowledge of the Barbaresco terroir, and long-held family traditions, Giuseppe Cortese is able to craft some of Piedmont’s most exceptional wines. A native of Barbaresco, Giuseppe Cortese began a lifelong passion for winemaking by working with his father Giacomo in the family business. After several years of experience, he realized the future of high-quality Barbaresco wines was in developing the potential of the terroir. With this in mind, Giuseppe began re-orienting the family’s wine business and remodeling the winery, improving vinification techniques, and purchasing new land among the famous Rabajà vineyards. Giuseppe’s son Piercarlo joined him in the 1990s, after graduating from the highly regarded Enological School of Alba. Today, Cortese is the typical small, family-run winery, with Giuseppe’s wife Rosella and daughter Tiziana playing active roles in commercial aspects and public relations. Attentive, rigorous care of the estate’s vineyards, strict selection of the best clusters, a traditional approach to vinification, and a gentle hand with modern techniques are the ingredients that define the unmistakable personality and unique flavors of Cortese’s wines. Before running his own winery, Giuseppe Cortese served as cellar master and vineyard manager for some of Piedmont’s most prestigious wineries. During this time, he gained invaluable knowledge of the Nebbiolo grape and how to maximize its potential in and around the Barbaresco zone. The winery is located in an underground cellar nestled in the upper hillside of the Rabajà vineyard and houses various sizes of the larger traditional botti (large barrels) used for the vinification of Nebbiolo. Cortese believes that each lot needs to be treated individually and thus requires several different sizes of aging vessels. All this attention to detail yields wines of incredible depth and balance, with a finesse that rewards the patient consumer.
