The 2015 Barbaresco Riserva Rabajà hits the palate with a blast of dark cherry, plum, chocolate, new leather, licorice, smoke and spice. Somber and imposing, the Rabajà shows plenty of its typical breadth and body, but, not surprisingly, it is also closed and in need of time. There is good energy here, if not quite the visceral thrill of the very best years.

The Produttori del Barbaresco 2015 Barbaresco Riserva Rabajà is a stunning wine. The aromas rise from the glass with purpose, clarity and extreme definition. This is indeed a very special wine, thanks to the direct and linear quality of fruit and the elegant tannins that build the long finish. The Nebbiolo grape is elevated to a beautiful plain or plateau, where it shows off its naked beauty in a clear and unobstructed manner. The wine affords us a panoramic view of the Piedmont grape, planted in the white tuffaceous marl soils of Rabajà. Exactly 16,104 bottles were made.

Rabajà has a complex mix of soils and at its northern edges joins the vineyards of Asili and Muncagota. This was first bottled by Produttori as a single-vineyard wine in 1971. The 2015 is darker and richer than all here other than perhaps the Asili and Rio Sordo. It has an intense meaty, inky character framed by wood and with an overlay of vanilla. It combines power and density with elegant tannins and high acidity.
Tasted by James Button (at Astrum Cellars Produttori del Barbaresco Riserva 2015s tasting, London, 15 Jan 2020)
Part of How terroir makes a difference in Barbaresco