The 2011 Barbaresco Riserva Rabajà is quite backward today, with intense, salivating tannins that cut through the fruit. The trademark Rabajà balsamic flavor profile is there, with notable darkness and plenty of structure that add complexity to a core of crystalline fruit. Energetic and powerful, with searing tannin and exceptional balance, the Rabajà is going to require considerable patience. The only question is how much.

The 2011 Barbaresco Riserva Rabajà is a beautiful wine that hits all the right buttons. This wine opens to evident ripeness, but that abundant dark fruit is well contained within the larger framework of this wine. The Rabajà cru delivers dense and well-structured Nebbiolo grapes with firm tannins and broad, muscular appeal. This Riserva opens nicely in the glass and offers a generous stream of dark fruit and spice flavors. This wine is poised to shed some of that baby fat with time.