Barbaresco DOCG Rabajà Riserva 2019

In the glass, a pale cherry red of clear transparency. A Barbaresco that doesn't use its long time in cask as a cushion: youthfully unruly, driving, carried by precise acidity. 14.0% vol., dry.

The grapes grow in the Rabajà vineyard in the commune of Barbaresco, on limestone and clay soil facing south to southwest, 235 to 315 metres above sea level. The vines average 51 years of age, trained using the Guyot system, at a density of around 5200 vines per hectare.

Single-varietal Nebbiolo. Alcoholic fermentation lasted about three weeks in steel tank on the skins, with regular pump-overs and a cold maceration before and after fermentation; the cap of skins remained submerged following the traditional method. Malolactic fermentation took place in used barriques, after which the wine aged for roughly 30 months in large oak casks.

On the nose, flowers, herbs, blond tobacco and blood orange peel, alongside a lightly reductive cassis note, cherry and cherry stone, undergrowth, earth and mint. Then medium-grained tannin and a clear acid flow, a striking salinity, a sweet fruit core, flint and the finest oak. The finish lingers long.

Vietti, in Castiglione Falletto, has existed since 1873. In 1961, Alfredo Currado vinified grapes from individual vineyards separately, creating one of the first Barolo crus; in 1967 he was the first to bottle a single-varietal Arneis. Since 1974, the labels have featured original artworks, including a drawing by Pier Paolo Pasolini. Today the estate farms 75 hectares across nine crus; in 2025, Doctor Wine named Vietti Azienda dell'Anno.