An elegant red, predominately cherry, with supporting flavors of raspberry, rose, anise, thyme and mint. Charming and balanced, with a long, licorice-tinged finish. Best from 2025 through 2040. 300 cases imported.??–BS??Region: Italy / Piedmont / Barbaresco Select to Add

The Rizzi 2020 Barbaresco Rizzi shows an etched, focused bouquet that cedes to crushed rose, cassis and dried cherry. It has a guiding note of metal or rust that seems specific to this bottle. The Rizzi cru rises a moderate 230 to 300 meters in elevation with limestone, clay and sand. The wine has a ripe side for sure, owing to the hot vintage, but it also shows a firm and compact quality that Nebbiolo delivers effortlessly. Some 24,000 bottles were released.

Here's one of those fun occasions when a private estate name matches the MGA vineyard name. With fruit from the village of Treiso, the Rizzi 2019 Barbaresco Rizzi is austere and compact with a rich display of dark cherry and currant. Pretty layers of spice and leather fill in at the back, giving this wine a stronger sense of power and momentum. This vintage came out very nicely.

Like the rest of the new releases from this estate, the 2018 Barbaresco Rizzi has all its cards in place, but it lacks the intensity and depth you might expect. This is the cru closest to the Rizzi family house, which offers gorgeous views across the trellised hills of Treiso. Its fruit here is rendered soft and silky, but the end result is a fairly simple expression of Nebbiolo. Some 12,000 bottles were made.

The Rizzi 2017 Barbaresco Rizzi is a wine of pretty harmony and balance. The aromas open slowly and delicately with red fruit and wild rose. You get a brief glimpse onto the warmth and sunshine of the vintage (this was a hot year), although that heat is well managed and contained. It comes forward with a little more darkness and concentration. This vintage is well suited for near and medium-term drinking alongside braised lamb and roasted potatoes with rosemary and garlic. I enjoyed that little hint of chalk or crushed mineral on the close. An ample 16,000 bottles were made.