Winemaker Notes
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.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
A sleek, elegant style, with plenty of intensity to its floral, strawberry, currant, mineral and eucalyptus flavors. Still a little reticent on the finish, yet balanced and pure. The fruit becomes more prominent with air, so decant gently now or age a few more years.
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James Suckling
Aromas and flavors of dried berry, chocolate and spice follow through to firm tannins and a clean finish. Clean and balanced wine from this beautiful vineyard.
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Wine Enthusiast
Aromas of underbrush, menthol, dark fruit, violet and a note of exotic spice take shape in the glass. The chewy palate delivers ripe cherry, pomegranate, white pepper, herb and a truffle note while fine-grained tannins provide support and polish.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2013 Barbaresco Rabajà shows fullness and intensity with a long array of dark fruit aromas with spice, leather and toasted almond. This is a slightly cooler vintage. This is apparent in the palate, where the wine delivers a spot of tannic tightness and bright acidity.
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.