Winemaker Notes
This Barbaresco stands out for its harmonious, well-balanced expression, with a luscious floral scented bouquet, magisterial structure, and lingering taste. At once crisp and elegant, with a succulent mouthfeel this superb classic lends itself to immediate enjoyment or to medium/long-term cellaring.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Intoxicating aromas of violets, dark cherries, pomegranates and a balsamic touch. A creamy, balanced palate with velvety tannins, integrated acidity, a medium to full body and a savory finish. Try from 2026.
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Wine Enthusiast
Dried cherry, crushed rose and a hint of leather come through with calm certainty, like a scent you've known forever. The structure is firm but welcoming, with balanced tannins and steady acidity. It's a Barbaresco that plays the classics with no flash, just timeless quality that pulls you back in every time you revisit. Drink Now - 2045.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2022 Barbaresco exhibits a youthful ruby red hue and is expressive in its perfume of dried strawberries, potpourri, hints of leather, and fresh lavender. Medium-bodied, it’s approachable and juicy upfront, with its more savory notes coming through the mid-palate, along with zesty notes of orange peel and dried earth. It’s a charming and well-managed Barbaresco in this intensely dry vintage and retains its freshness very nicely. Drink 2025-2035.
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Vinous
The 2022 Barbaresco is a terrific wine from Cortese in this challenging vintage. Hints of kirsch, blood orange, spice, menthol, star anise and cedar meld into a core of sweet red-toned fruit. This pliant, mid-weight Barbaresco is all charm. Floral notes extend the subtle yet sneakily persistent finish. Cortese's Barbaresco is a blend of fruit from Trifolera and young vines in Rabajà.
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.