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Giuseppe Cortese Barbaresco Riserva Rabaja 2016 750ml

size
750ml
country
Italy
region
Piedmont
appellation
Barbaresco
WNR
99
VM
97
JD
96
WA
95
WS
94
JS
94
Additional vintages
WNR
99
Rated 99 by Winery
Rated 99 - The 2016 Rabajà Riserva is drop-dead gorgeous, starting with its luminous ruby color and beautiful aromas of forest berry, rose, iris, menthol and star anise. Full-bodied, delicious and focused, the elegantly structured palate features juicy black cherry, crushed raspberry, licorice and saline mineral notes before a minty close. While expressive and savory, it also shows the restraint of the best world-class wines and is beautifully balanced, with polished tannins and fresh acidity. What a stunner. Drink 2024–2036. - Kerin O’Keefe ... More details
Image of bottle
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Giuseppe Cortese Barbaresco Riserva Rabaja 2016 750ml

SKU 946941
Case Only Purchase
Long-term Pre-Arrival
$751.02
/case
$125.17
/750ml bottle
Quantity
min order 6 bottles
* This is a Long-term Pre-arrival item and is available for online ordering only. This item will ship on a future date after a 4-8 months transfer time. For additional details about Pre-arrival Items please visit our FAQ page.
Professional Ratings
WNR
99
VM
97
JD
96
WA
95
WS
94
JS
94
WNR
99
Rated 99 by Winery
Rated 99 - The 2016 Rabajà Riserva is drop-dead gorgeous, starting with its luminous ruby color and beautiful aromas of forest berry, rose, iris, menthol and star anise. Full-bodied, delicious and focused, the elegantly structured palate features juicy black cherry, crushed raspberry, licorice and saline mineral notes before a minty close. While expressive and savory, it also shows the restraint of the best world-class wines and is beautifully balanced, with polished tannins and fresh acidity. What a stunner. Drink 2024–2036. - Kerin O’Keefe
VM
97
Rated 97 by Vinous Media
The 2016 Barbaresco Riserva Rabaja 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.
JD
96
Rated 96 by Jeb Dunnuck
Displaying great structure and aromatics within a medium frame, the 2016 Barbaresco Riserva Rabaja' is lifted with licorice, cranberry cocktail, and pink peppercorn. It is a gorgeous wine with great balance, a long finish, and its fruit holding throughout. Ripe, fresh, and not showing any signs of maturity, this is a fantastic and racy wine that delivers a lot of pleasure. Angular, fresh, and ripe with grenadine, cranberry, and salty earth, it is an outstanding wine from Cortese to drink over the next 20 years.
WA
95
Rated 95 by Wine Advocate
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. Some 6,000 bottles were made. Great job.
WS
94
Rated 94 by Wine Spectator
Packed with sweet, ripe cherry, raspberry, rose, mineral and spice flavors, this red is also fluid and balanced, driven by lively acidity and firm, well-integrated tannins. Fresh, invigorating and long, this is approachable now, yet will be better in 2-3 years. Best from 2024 through 2042. 500 cases made, 50 cases imported.
JS
94
Rated 94 by James Suckling
The aromas of rose stems and black cherries with some redcurrants are enticing. Also bark and earth. It’s full-to medium-bodied with very fine tannins and a fresh and bright finish. It’s just starting to open now and shows such finesse and beauty. Drink or hold.
Product Details
size
750ml
country
Italy
region
Piedmont
appellation
Barbaresco
Additional vintages
Overview
Rated 99 - The 2016 Rabajà Riserva is drop-dead gorgeous, starting with its luminous ruby color and beautiful aromas of forest berry, rose, iris, menthol and star anise. Full-bodied, delicious and focused, the elegantly structured palate features juicy black cherry, crushed raspberry, licorice and saline mineral notes before a minty close. While expressive and savory, it also shows the restraint of the best world-class wines and is beautifully balanced, with polished tannins and fresh acidity. What a stunner. Drink 2024–2036. - Kerin O’Keefe
green grapes

Varietal: Nebbiolo

The name 'Nebbiolo' means 'fog' in Italian, and there is some debate as to the origin of this unusual name. However, many people claim it has something to do with the milky white dust which covers these dark, round grapes as they begin to reach maturity. The Nebbiolo grapes are most renowned for their inclusion in the finest wines of Italy, where they are allowed to age and mellow their strong tannins, producing wonderfully complex wines packed with dense, interesting flavors Most commonly, Nebbiolo wines hold beautiful tones of truffle, violet and prunes, and are highly aromatic and mellow on the palate. Their popularity and fame has helped them become established in several New World countries, where they continue to seduce and fascinate wine drinkers looking for an elegant, sophisticated wine which packs in plenty of wonderful flavors
barrel

Region: Piedmont

The beautiful region of Piedmont in the north west of Italy is responsible for producing many of Europe's finest red wines. Famous appellations such as Barolo and Barbaresco are the envy of wine-makers all over the world, and attract plenty of tourism as a result of their traditional techniques and the stunning setting they lie in. The region has a similar summer climate to nearby French regions such as Bordeaux, but the rest of their year is considerably colder, and far drier as a result of the rain shadow cast by the Alps. The wineries which cover much of Piedmont have, over many generations, mastered how to make the most of the Nebbiolo, Dolcetto and Barbera grapes which thrive here, and nowadays are beginning to experimenting with many imported varietals to increase the region's range and meet international demand.
fields

Country: Italy

For several decades in the mid to late twentieth century, Italy's reputation for quality wines took a fairly serious blow. This was brought about partly due to lack of regulation in certain regions, and too much regulation in others. This led to several wineries in the beautiful and highly fertile region of Tuscany making the bold move to work outside of the law, which they saw as responsible for the drop in quality in Tuscan wines. They believed that they had the expertise and the generations of experience necessary with which to make truly excellent, world class wines, and set about doing just that. These 'Super Tuscans', as they came to be known, quickly inspired the rest of Italy to improve their produce, and now, Italian wine producers in the twenty-first century are widely recognised to be amongst the best in the world. Regulation and law began to change, and wine drinkers across the globe woke up to the outstanding wines coming out of Italy, which are continuing to improve and impress to this day.
Customer Reviews
Customer Reviews

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More Details
green grapes

Varietal: Nebbiolo

The name 'Nebbiolo' means 'fog' in Italian, and there is some debate as to the origin of this unusual name. However, many people claim it has something to do with the milky white dust which covers these dark, round grapes as they begin to reach maturity. The Nebbiolo grapes are most renowned for their inclusion in the finest wines of Italy, where they are allowed to age and mellow their strong tannins, producing wonderfully complex wines packed with dense, interesting flavors Most commonly, Nebbiolo wines hold beautiful tones of truffle, violet and prunes, and are highly aromatic and mellow on the palate. Their popularity and fame has helped them become established in several New World countries, where they continue to seduce and fascinate wine drinkers looking for an elegant, sophisticated wine which packs in plenty of wonderful flavors
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Region: Piedmont

The beautiful region of Piedmont in the north west of Italy is responsible for producing many of Europe's finest red wines. Famous appellations such as Barolo and Barbaresco are the envy of wine-makers all over the world, and attract plenty of tourism as a result of their traditional techniques and the stunning setting they lie in. The region has a similar summer climate to nearby French regions such as Bordeaux, but the rest of their year is considerably colder, and far drier as a result of the rain shadow cast by the Alps. The wineries which cover much of Piedmont have, over many generations, mastered how to make the most of the Nebbiolo, Dolcetto and Barbera grapes which thrive here, and nowadays are beginning to experimenting with many imported varietals to increase the region's range and meet international demand.
fields

Country: Italy

For several decades in the mid to late twentieth century, Italy's reputation for quality wines took a fairly serious blow. This was brought about partly due to lack of regulation in certain regions, and too much regulation in others. This led to several wineries in the beautiful and highly fertile region of Tuscany making the bold move to work outside of the law, which they saw as responsible for the drop in quality in Tuscan wines. They believed that they had the expertise and the generations of experience necessary with which to make truly excellent, world class wines, and set about doing just that. These 'Super Tuscans', as they came to be known, quickly inspired the rest of Italy to improve their produce, and now, Italian wine producers in the twenty-first century are widely recognised to be amongst the best in the world. Regulation and law began to change, and wine drinkers across the globe woke up to the outstanding wines coming out of Italy, which are continuing to improve and impress to this day.