Next to the Asili, the Bruno Giacosa 2019 Barbaresco Rabajà has even more structure and power, promising more longevity too. Thanks to the wine's natural tannic grip and structure, I suggest a longer drinking window for this expression. The Rabajà will require more time in bottle. At this young stage, it displays a pretty ensemble of dark berries, crushed rose, white stone and dusty licorice root. Patience is required here.

The Bruno Giacosa 2017 Barbaresco Rabajà is a fine and delicate wine that throws a curveball at our expectations of this notoriously hot and dry vintage. The wine is exceedingly generous when it comes to its fruit, especially its blackcurrant and plum, but what steals the show is that elegant mineral note that so seamlessly cedes to spice, licorice and cinnamon. Rabajà is one of the most distinctive growing sites in Barbaresco, thanks to its white stony soils that leave such a strong imprint on its wines. The wine is remarkable for its nicely linear and delicate style, but it ultimately proves its power and determination on the palate over many long minutes.

I tasted this wine next to the 2017 vintage, and the differences between the two growing seasons are remarkable. The 2017 expression is open, more accessible and singing from the glass. However, the Bruno Giacosa 2016 Barbaresco Rabajà is certainly more reserved and timid if tasted now. The wine opens to beautiful richness, saturation and concentration. There is plenty of dark fruit and bright cherry with ample textural richness that is followed by sweet tannins and an attractively tight or firm structure. Saline or mineral notes give the wine sharpness and added dimension. It has all its cards in place for long aging, and the wine most certainly needs more time in the bottle.

This beautiful wine was released in January and is on the market now. The 2015 Barbaresco Rabajà benefits from one more year in the bottle (compared to its peers) to show expressive and exuberant intensity. The bouquet delivers a special floral note that resembles lady's perfume of fragrant rose potpourri, but these ethereal tones only last for the first minute or two. After that, you get a solid core of dark fruit with blackberry and dried cherry. The wine is nicely contoured by firm tannins and lasting acidity. The Rabajà vineyard site measures only half a hectare, and 3,600 bottles are made each year as a result.

This is the second year in which this wine was made with estate fruit (opposed to purchased fruit). Bruna Giacosa calls the 2014 Barbaresco Rabajà her “l(fā)ittle miracle wine.” The Rabajà cru is very close to Asili, but indeed, the two corresponding wines are extremely different in character. This expression offers black fruit intensity, with sharp and classic lines. Rabajà tends to be closed in its younger years and needs extra aging time before it finds its voice. The mouthfeel is dense, brooding and slightly austere at this point. Ten additional years of cellar aging should be considered at a minimum.