2005 Barbaresco Rabaja

The 2005 Barbaresco Rabajà is a bit awkward. Today, it comes across as raw and not fully formed, which is a bit less development than I expected to see. The typical spice, menthol and balsamic notes are present, but the 2005 still needs time. The only questions are how much time and will the Rabajà ever truly blossom into a great Barbaresco. In my experience, the 2005 never hits the level of Giacosa's best wines.

Good medium red. Less expressive on the nose than the Asili, showing a higher-toned, more decadent quality and a whiff of underbrush. Fatter and sweeter in the mouth, but a powerful spine of acidity and a calcaire energy contribute to the wine's tactile quality and give it lift. Best today on the long finish, which features broad, substantial tannins and emerging red fruits that linger impressively. As sweet as the Asili, but this really needs time in bottle.

The 2005 Barbaresco Rabaja is the densest and richest of these 2005 Barbarescos. The Because it is aged in a slightly smaller cask, the wine shows an explosive personality along with some oak nuances that require bottle age to settle down. This muscular Barbaresco resonates on the palate with layers of spiced, mentholated dark cherries, minerals and licorice. It remains a dense, structured and primary wine in need of serious bottle age for the firm tannins to melt away. This too is a sublime wine from Bruno Giacosa.