Simply stated, the 2008 Barbaresco Riserva Rabaja is one of the finest and most polished wines I have ever tasted at Cortese. It has all of the classicism of the 2006, but with a little more inner juiciness and perfume. Black cherries, plums, tar, incense and smoke are some of the many notes that take shape as this gorgeous wine literally blossoms right in front of my eyes. Readers might remember my enthusiasm for the 2008 straight Barbaresco at Cortese. The Riserva is all that, and a little more. It will be interesting to see how the 2008 develops in bottle, as it is at least two years away from being released. In 2008 Cortese brought in the Nebbiolo between the 18th and 20th of October, a classic late harvest that is more the exception than the rule these days. This is easily one of the best Cortese wines I have ever tasted. Anticipated maturity: 2018-2038. Piercarlo Cortese describes 2009 as a very consistent year. The 2009 harvest started at the end of September, slightly ahead of normal, and finished on October 15. The Cortese Barbareschi undergo malolactic fermentation in steel and are aged exclusively in cask. Cortese has recently expanded their holdings with a new lease in Rabaja, which will bump production up slightly in coming years. A Leonardo Lo Cascio Selection, Winebow, Montvale, NJ; tel. (201) 445-0620