The wines of Giuseppe Cortese are every Piedmont aficionado’s dream. Located in the heart of the famous Rabajà zone, this small, family-owned winery, known for producing exquisitely balanced wines from the Barbaresco zone, is run by those who possess an intimate knowledge of the Nebbiolo grape. With profound respect and knowledge of the Barbaresco terroir, and long-held family traditions, Giuseppe Cortese is able to craft some of Piedmont’s most exceptional wines.
A native of Barbaresco, Giuseppe Cortese began a lifelong passion for winemaking by working with his father Giacomo in the family business. After several years of experience, he realized the future of high-quality Barbaresco wines was in developing the potential of the terroir. With this in mind, Giuseppe began re-orienting the family’s wine business and remodeling the winery, improving vinification techniques, and purchasing new land among the famous Rabajà vineyards. Giuseppe’s son Piercarlo joined him in the 1990s, after graduating from the highly regarded Enological School of Alba. Today, Cortese is the typical small, family-run winery, with Giuseppe’s wife Rosella and daughter Tiziana playing active roles in commercial aspects and public relations.
The Cortese winery is located in the hamlet of Rabajà, within the prestigious commune of Barbaresco. Just a mile from the ancient town of Barbaresco, along the Via Rabajà, the Cortese winery and family home sit atop the bowl that cradles the Rabajà cru vineyard, one of Barbaresco’s finest single vineyards. On the other side of Cortese’s 20 acres of vines, in the adjacent village of Trifolera, sits its beautiful, newly finished bed & breakfast, with idyllic views of row after row of Nebbiolo stretching below.
Attentive, rigorous care of the estate’s vineyards, strict selection of the best clusters, a traditional approach to vinification, and a gentle hand with modern techniques are the ingredients that define the unmistakable personality and unique flavors of Cortese’s wines. Before running his own winery, Giuseppe Cortese served as cellar master and vineyard manager for some of Piedmont’s most prestigious wineries. During this time, he gained invaluable knowledge of the Nebbiolo grape and how to maximize its potential in and around the Barbaresco zone.
The winery is located in an underground cellar nestled in the upper hillside of the Rabajà vineyard and houses various sizes of the larger traditional botti (large barrels) used for the vinification of Nebbiolo. Cortese believes that each lot needs to be treated individually and thus requires several different sizes of aging vessels. All this attention to detail yields wines of incredible depth and balance, with a finesse that rewards the patient consumer.
Giuseppe Cortese Barbaresco is made from 100 percent Nebbiolo.
BSA pretty red, this boasts strawberry, cherry, raspberry and rose aromas and flavors aligned to an elegant profile. Firm and intense, with a long, detailed aftertaste of fruit, rosemary and mineral accents. Best from 2025 through 2042. 850 cases made, 500 cases imported.
—Wine Spectator 94 Points Number 39 in Top 100
Elvio Cogno Pre-Phylloxera Barbera d'Alba is made from 100 percent Barbera.
Produced from one of the last archaic vines of the Langhe area, an open air museum of viticulture from a time gone by, the plants are over one hundred years old. The vines are not grafted but propagated through cuttings, thus maintaining, over the decades, the original Barbera characteristics.
The vineyard has an excellent exposure and sandy-chalky terrain, situated in Berri near La Morra, which guaranteed the vines a natural protection from Phylloxera and imparts unique and exclusive characteristics to the vines. The intriguing simplicity of the vines and their typical, traditional charm that derives from the microclimate and favorable altitude make a one of-a-kind wine.
The low production per hectare guarantees an intensely rare and rich organoleptic concentration. The wine is refined in oak casks that slowly develop the primary aromas. Pleasant and refined, complex even as a young wine but able to withstand bottle aging, it expresses its solid uniqueness even over the years.
A bright, rich ruby color with intense purplish highlights. The aroma is enveloping, aromatic and deep with noticeable spices on first impression and raspberry, strawberry and ripe cherry notes in background. Finish with pleasant harmonies of wild flowers. On the palate it is well structured, fresh and the acidity is excellently balanced, the tannins texture is embracing and flavors remind you of sour cherries, blackberries and prunes.
Review:
Planted in almost entirely sand, this own-rooted vineyard with some vines over 120 years old is a singular expression of Barbera. Elegant aromas of wild rose and fresh bay leaf mixed with cranberry, sour cherry and underbrush are just some of the notes you will discover in this complex wine. The palate is refined and well-balanced with fresh youthful red fruits, fresh flowers and fine tannins driving the wine home. Drink Now–2035.
-Wine Enthusiast 95 Points
The wine offers a touch of pear, spice and dried fruit aromas on the nose, and exotic fruit characters. Minerality emerges from the primary rock soils, followed by an elegant and lively finish.
Chicken and pork dishes, good food companion to many dishes.