The 2005 Barbaresco Rabaja was one of the standouts of my tastings. This wine’s sheer class and pedigree are unmistakable. A gorgeous bouquet of smoke, minerals, tar and menthol melds seamlessly onto an expansive palate of ripe dark fruit. The wine remains brooding and backward in a classic, textbook expression of Rabaja. This wine will require significant patience but it is a gem from one of Barbaresco’s most inspired producers. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2025. Proprietor Bruno Rocca makes some of the most friendly, fruit-driven wines in Barbaresco. Importers: Trilussa Wine Company, Greenbrae CA; tel. (415) 499-8466; Indigenous Selections, Fort Lauderdale FL; tel. (954) 530-4021

Strawberry, flowers and cherry on the nose. Full-bodied, with very chewy tannins. But there's also loads of fruit. Massive. This is a blockbuster. Such structure. Best after 2014. 460 cases made, 60 cases imported.??–JS??Region: Italy / Piedmont / Barbaresco Select to Add