Winemaker Notes
Sweet and floral on the nose, with hints of red fruit, violet, black cherry, and a salty touch that continues on the palate. In the mouth, it is juicy and delicate, with moderate volume. Of the three single vineyard Barbarescos, it is the most floral and delicate, with a citrus note on the finish.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2021 Barbaresco Costa Russi is a jeweled ruby color and is bright with fresh herbs, mint, cherries, thyme, and freshly dried earth. It has good volume and ripe structure on the palate and is long and cooling, with a note of fresh lavender. It also has a great, mouthwatering mineral tone with a more linear feel, but it’s powerful at the same time, with the sanguine and ripe blood orange notes that are shared across the vintage. It needs time, but wow, is it worth snapping up!
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James Suckling
This is so aromatic, with nutmeg, white pepper, matchstick, flint, bramble berries, blackberries and iodine. Medium-bodied with sleek and flexed tannins that give form and raciness. Spicy at the end. Shows excellent potential. Give this three to four years to open.
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Vinous
The 2021 Barbaresco Costa Russi is dark, rich and texturally enveloping in the style of the best wines from this hillside side. Plush contours give the Costa Russi its feeling of total sensuality. Macerated dark cherry, spice, leather, licorice and dried flowers are all beautifully amplified in this gorgeous, resonant Barbaresco. This is a fabulous Costa Russi.
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Wine Enthusiast
The nose is filled with dark fruits, particularly black cherry, intertwined with layers of fresh and compote blueberries, accompanied by a medley of savory spices. Dried roses and mountain herbs give lift and contrast on the nose. Bursty with a viciousness, crushed tart red fruits enliven the palate, while the wine's rich and giving nature is balanced by a regal tannic structure. Savory note emerge on the finish as the classic Nebbiolo lift keeps the palate refreshed and primed. Drink from 2026.
Cellar Selection -
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Of the three single-vineyard Barbarescos sampled, this bottle was poured first, denoting a lighter and more finessed style. The Gaja 2021 Barbaresco Costa Russi opens to roses, violets and tart berry fruit. "The 2021 vintage shows the distinct character of each site," says Giovanni Gaja. In comparison, Sorì Tildìn has a more pronounced mineral vein because of magnesium-rich soils, and Sorì San Lorenzo has more structure. This wine focuses on those pretty aromas, and it shows depth and balance. The fine-grain tannins give the Costa Russi a charming and more accessible approach.
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Wine Spectator
Expressive and elegant, this red features cherry, strawberry, rose and mineral aromas and flavors. Deftly balanced at this youthful stage, with refined tannins and vibrant acidity, this lingers with a complex mix of fruit and mineral elements, with a hint of eucalyptus. Best from 2027 through 2045.
Responsible for some of the most elegant and age-worthy wines in the world, Nebbiolo, named for the ubiquitous autumnal fog (called nebbia in Italian), is the star variety of northern Italy’s Piedmont region. Grown throughout the area, as well as in the neighboring Valle d’Aosta and Valtellina, it reaches its highest potential in the Piedmontese villages of Barolo, Barbaresco and Roero. Outside of Italy, growers are still very much in the experimentation stage but some success has been achieved in parts of California. Somm Secret—If you’re new to Nebbiolo, start with a charming, wallet-friendly, early-drinking Langhe Nebbiolo or Nebbiolo d'Alba.
A wine that most perfectly conveys the spirit and essence of its place, Barbaresco is true reflection of terroir. Its star grape, like that in the neighboring Barolo region, is Nebbiolo. Four townships within the Barbaresco zone can produce Barbaresco: the actual village of Barbaresco, as well as Neive, Treiso and San Rocco Seno d'Elvio.
Broadly speaking there are more similarities in the soils of Barbaresco and Barolo than there are differences. Barbaresco’s soils are approximately of the same two major soil types as Barolo: blue-grey marl of the Tortonion epoch, producing more fragile and aromatic characteristics, and Helvetian white yellow marl, which produces wines with more structure and tannins.
Nebbiolo ripens earlier in Barbaresco than in Barolo, primarily due to the vineyards’ proximity to the Tanaro River and lower elevations. While the wines here are still powerful, Barbaresco expresses a more feminine side of Nebbiolo, often with softer tannins, delicate fruit and an elegant perfume. Typical in a well-made Barbaresco are expressions of rose petal, cherry, strawberry, violets, smoke and spice. These wines need a few years before they reach their peak, the best of which need over a decade or longer. Bottle aging adds more savory characteristics, such as earth, iron and dried fruit.