Produttori del Barbaresco RABAJA Barbaresco Riserva 2017 750ml

Wine Spectator 95 Points: Dense, featuring fruit flavors of plum, cherry and raspberry, with accents of tar, eucalyptus and iron. A powerful red that needs time to resolve the muscular tannins, with plenty of ripe fruit coursing underneath. Best from 2026.

Wine Advocate 96 Points: The Produttori del Barbaresco 2017 Barbaresco Riserva Rabajà is another spectacular release from this cooperative winery that hits it out of the ballpark with each set of new releases. That impressive track record includes this wine that delivers extreme focus, depth and integrity. The bouquet is very clear cut with dark cherry, tart plum, spice and blood orange, but it is also complex and fluid. It offers new perspectives with each swirl of the glass. From a hot vintage, the Rabajà is smooth, powerful and balanced. I would bet on long aging for this bottle.
Best After 2025. Rating: 96+

James Suckling 97 Points: Lots of white-truffle, ripe-strawberry and crushed-stone character. Full-bodied with a focused and pinpointed palate of flavors similar to the aromas. The tannins are polished and beautiful. Very elegant and sophisticated Rabaja.

Vinous 94 Points: The 2017 Barbaresco Riserva Rabajà is a potent, searingly tannic wine that will need a few years to come together. Brooding and backward, even for young Rabajà, the 2017 is painfully young today. It will be interesting to see what time brings. Today, the 2017 is a real powerhouse. Black fruit, menthol, licorice, melted road tar, game and menthol develop in the glass, but only with great reluctance. Drinking Window: 2027 - 2039.

Wine & Spirits Magazine 96 Points: Frost and hail in the spring of 2017 was followed by a long drought in the summer, reducing yields by about 20 percent. The remaining grapes were small in size with a high skin-to-juice ratio that gave dark and concentrated wines, like this one, from the Rabajà cru. Its cherry and raspberry flavors are juicy and ripe, enlivened by notes of orange peel and anise. Powerful, tarry tannins frame the fruit, softening with exposure to air as the wine gains notes of balsamic herbs on the way to a long and elegant finish.