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
Luis Canas Rioja Blanco is made from 90% Viura and 10% Malvasia (60+ years old vines)
Barrel fermented for 3.5 months in new French oak barrels.
Alcohol: 13,5º
Total acidity: 6,5 g./l.
Volatile acidity: 0,25 g./l.
PH: 3,40
Free SO2: 25 mg./l.
Grapes harvested in small boxes to be selected manually on the table, bunch by bunch.
Beautiful golden yellow, with bright lemony highly-luminous reflections. The nose is fine, with great elegance, combined with floral and fruity tones.
The palate is dry with a crisp acidity that gives its freshness and vivacity, a structured and tasty finish of ripe fruit.
We recommend that you taste it at 8°C.
It is appropriate to accompany shellfish, crustaceans and grilled white fish or fish stews. It also blends elegantly with rice, soft cheeses, blue cheeses, all kinds of mushrooms and fresh fruit.
A parcel of 90 ares, one part is 20 years old and the other part is 55 years old. Its is called Les Pressonniers, in Gevrey-Chambertin.
Bourgogne Rouge Côte d’Or comes from a plot of Gevrey-Chambertin vines, giving delicate fruit and body, as well as the character and complexity of the Gevrey-Chambertin terro