Giuseppe Cortese Barbaresco 2021

Product information

Giuseppe Cortese Barbaresco 2021

Nebbiolo from Barbaresco, Piedmont, Italy

$111

$107ea in any 3+
$103ea in any 6+
Alc: 14.5%
Closure: Cork

Description

We have benefited from a delayed release of the Cortese 2021’s. It’s fascinating reading critic notes from barrel tastings and just post-bottling. They are such a snapshot in time. Seeing this 2+ years after the most recent critic notes shows they had solid insights. The Blue Label Barbaresco was first released just a few years ago and has consistently represented exceptional value underpinned by quality fruit and the deft hand in the winery. The 2021 continues to follow this short, yet impressive history. Resolved, it’s nice to see the quality step up from the Langhe Neb matching the price. Seamless, an entrancing perfume dances atop red cherry fruits with a slatey, spicy, and sapid, tarry line combining with perfectly balanced acidity, yielding Cortese’s hallmark thirst-quenching style. There is much to explore and enjoy as this opens in the glass.

Paul Kaan, Wine Decoded Aug 2026

The 2021 Barbaresco shows all the pedigree and classicism of this great vintage. Bright, poised and super-expressive, the 2021 is a total delight in every way. Crushed leaves, orange peel, mint, rosewater and sweet pipe tobacco are some of the many notes that grace a Barbaresco, which is all about sublime elegance. Sept 2024.

Antonio Galloni, Vinous 94 Points

In stock

Check out all of the wines by Giuseppe Cortese

Why is this Wine so Yummy?

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

About Guiseppe Cortese

Giuseppe went solo in 1971, making his first wine under his own name.

About the 2021 Cortese Vintage

From Galloni:

This is a fine set of new releases from Cortese. The entry-level wines are terrific, a theme that continues through to the Barbarescos. Readers who enjoy structured, traditionally build wines will find much to admire. As has been the case for a few years now, the wines seem to be gaining in finesse, which is always great to see.

Where in the World is Giuseppe Cortese?

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

Click to enlarge 🔎
94 Points

The 2021 Barbaresco shows all the pedigree and classicism of this great vintage. Bright, poised and super-expressive, the 2021 is a total delight in every way. Crushed leaves, orange peel, mint, rosewater and sweet pipe tobacco are some of the many notes that grace a Barbaresco, which is all about sublime elegance. Sept 2024.

Antonio Galloni, Vinous

Where in the world does the magic happen?

Giuseppe Cortese, Strada Rabaja, Barbaresco, Piedmont, Province of Cuneo, Italy

Barbaresco
Piedmont
Italy

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