Giuseppe Cortese Rabaja Barbaresco 2022 Wine (75cl)

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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.This Barbaresco pairs well with roasted meat or wild game dishes. With all due respect to the estate Barbaresco, the flagship Rabajà bottling rightly boasts greater concentration, density and richer fruit given its mostly southwest exposure and warmer microclimate. At the same time, it retains absolute purity and balance. Limpid scents of raspberry, crushed allspice and mint blossom captivate. The palate demonstrates tension and textural depth with a mineral sensation simmering under the succulent dark berry core. The tannins are ripe but give a properly assertive grip. I remember walking through Rabajà in early October 2022, and the estate was one of the few that still had grapes on the vines. Clearly their decision to wait paid off. Pouring a pale ruby red hue, the current release of the 2022 Barbaresco Rabaja' is in some ways a similar vintage to 2023. Sunny and fresh, the nose reveals pretty and delicate spiced notes of cinnamon, cranberries, hints of darker fruit, and stony earth. Medium bodied, it has refreshing and approachable levity. I love where this is already, and it should have no problem drinking its best over the next 10-12 years. Dried cherry, rose petal, and the faint trace of sun-warmed earth drift up with ease, like walking the ridgeline of Rabajà at dusk. There's something grounded and self-possessed here, with fruit that's generous but never showy. Fine tannins stretch across the palate, firm but forgiving. This wine carries the calm strength of its vineyard. Drink from 2026.