2001 Barbaresco Rabaja
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When I first tasted it, I thought the 2001 Barbaresco Riserva Rabajà was one of the very best wines Bruno Giacosa had ever made. I thought so highly of the 2001 that I bought several cases on release. Over the last few years I started to notice that some bottles weren’t showing perfectly, but I ascribed that to just bad luck. Dried out and evolved, with no fruit at all, this bottle was more than bad luck, it was simply undrinkable. Pouring it down the drain was heartbreaking.
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Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
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The 2001 Barbaresco Riserva Rabajà is another wine I tasted many times before it was released. It is, in my view, one of the greatest wines Bruno Giacosa has ever made. That said, there is some variation in the 2001 that is probably attributable to different suppliers of cork. Although this bottle is not as thrilling as others have been, there is still plenty of the darkness, depth and structure that are such Rabajà signatures. Firm tannins ensure the 2001 will drink well for many years and decades to come. I often enjoy Barolo and Barbaresco on the younger side, but the 2001 Rabajà is a bottle I would prefer to continue to cellar for at least another few years. In the mid 2000s, Giacosa made several fabulous Barbarescos from a parcel he labeled as being in Rabajà, but that was later placed within Asili when the Menzioni Geografiche Aggiuntive (the approximate Italian equivalent of the French ‘cru’) were drawn up a few years ago.
Surprisingly, the 2001 Barbaresco Riserva Rabajà is the most expressive of Giacosa's Barbareschi today. I still remember tasting this wine the very first time. It is every bit as dazzling today. Dark fruit, menthol, spices, licorice, graphite and tar meld together in this towering, statuesque Barbaresco. Readers who own the Rabajà are in for a thrilling ride. It is easily one of the best wines Bruno Giacosa has ever made.
Surprisingly, the 2001 Barbaresco Riserva Rabaja is the most expressive of Giacosa’s Barbareschi today. I still remember tasting this wine the very first time. It is every bit as dazzling today. Dark fruit, menthol, spices, licorice, graphite and tar meld together in this towering, statuesque Barbaresco. Readers who own the Rabaja are in for a thrilling ride. It is easily one of the best wines Bruno Giacosa has ever made. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2031. This is a fabulous set of wines from one of the great Giacosa vintages. Admittedly, opening ten year-old Giacosa Barbareschi and Baroli must be viewed as a purely academic excercise, as the wines are nowhere near ready. Readers will have to be especially patient, as most of these wines have entered a closed phase after having been surprisingly accessible early on. Importer: Folio Fine Wine Partners, Napa, CA; tel. (707) 256-2700
About the producer
Bruno Giacosa – now run by daughter Bruna – is a cult Nebbiolo producer, that has consistently made some of the best single-vineyard Barbaresco and Barolo from the 1960s onwards. The“red-label” Riservas are some of the finest and most collectable wines in Italy.