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$86
For the coin this sitting in a great spot!
Here’s a good value from Piedmont. The Giuseppe Cortese 2019 Barbaresco is fine and silky with determined aromas of dried fruit, pressed rose, licorice and crushed stone. The wine shows classic Nebbiolo aromas in a simple manner and with just enough complexity to underline the distinct personality of this special grape.
Monica Larner, The Wine Advocate 92 Points
The second release of this wine comprising young vines from Rabaja and older ones from Trifolera (sits under Rabaja and Martinenga, and above Tre Stelle) There’s a thread through Cortese’s wines of being well composed. Always sophistication. pretty poised wines with excellent acid balance, perfume, purity and translucence.
Only 1 left in stock
You could call Giuseppe Cortese a one trick pony.
The majority of his Nebbiolo comes from just 1 vineyard
Boy, it’s one hell of a pony – Rabajà.
Surface area: in Barbaresco 1,5 hectares in the “Rabajà” zone, with south, south-westerly exposure.
Altitude: 235/315 meters a.s.l.
Soil: limestone and clay soil rich in minerals and stratified.
Age of vineyard: around 35 years
Density of planting system: guyot-4,000 vines per hectare
Yield per hectare: 70 quintals
Production: approx. 10,000 bottles
Harvest: manual. Vinification: around 30 days of fermentation
Ageing: 18 months in Slavonian oak barrels ranging in size of 17 to 25 hectolitres and in age of 5/6 years minimum. Minimum 6 months of maturing in the bottle before being released for sale.
“It’s impossible not to admire these genuine, sincere wines and their equally unpretentious prices”. Antonio Galloni
Giuseppe went solo in 1971, making his first wine under his own name.
From Galloni:
Two-thousand nineteen is an especially fine vintage at Cortese. The wines are deep, layered and super-expressive. Gabriele Occhetti describes 2019 as a late-ripening year, with a harvest that started in mid-October. The 2020s, on the other hand, strike me as a bit less even. There is some edginess in the tannin that is probably the result of less favorable conditions during the growing season. There will be no Riserva in 2020. As always, winemaking here is pretty bare-bones. Fermentations are spontaneous. The wines see fairly long fermentation/maceration, which can reach as much as 30-40 days on the skins for the Riserva. All the Barbarescos are aged in cask; about 18 months for the Barbaresco, 22 for the Rabajà and 48 for the Riserva.
Cortese’s best vineyard is undoubtedly his Rabajà
Contrary to how it may appear when seen from a distance, the Rabajà hill is anything but homogeneous and can be broadly divided into at least two areas. The first bordering on Asili coincides with the picturesque amphitheatre overlooking the Martinenga cru, and mostly enjoys a south-westerly aspect. The second, on the other hand, is more linear and faces due south, though within it there are some evident variations due to marked undulations around the hillside. In both cases, the style of the wine is, however, richer and bolder than the Asili and Martinenga (although a more uncompromising, mineral character tends to emerge in the second area).
Cortese’s Rabajà is mainly facing south-west in the hollow above Martinenga, south for the remainder
Fragrant purple flower, red berry and wild herb aromas mingle in the glass together with a whiff of camphor. Tightly wound and linear, the youthfully austere palate shows crushed raspberry, Marasca cherry and star anise framed in taut, tightly knit tannins and bright acidity.
The 2019 Barbaresco is classy, elegant and polished. In other words, everything Barbaresco can and should be. Rose petal, bright red fruit, orange peel and cinnamon all grace this exquisite Barbaresco from Cortese. It's a gorgeous wine in every way.
Here’s a good value from Piedmont. The Giuseppe Cortese 2019 Barbaresco is fine and silky with determined aromas of dried fruit, pressed rose, licorice and crushed stone. The wine shows classic Nebbiolo aromas in a simple manner and with just enough complexity to underline the distinct personality of this special grape.
Where in the world does the magic happen?
Giuseppe Cortese, Strada Rabaja, Barbaresco, Piedmont, Province of Cuneo, Italy
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