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
Patricia Raquin Santenay 1er Cru Beaurepaire is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
The animals shown on the label are dogs. The breed is called Borzoi, also called "Russian Wolfhound", which means "fast" in Russian. Patricia and Alain are proud owners of 2 Borzois and they designed this label so that the dogs will be guardian of the vaulted ageing cellar inside their house.
The Santenay Santenay is coming from the Premier Cru called Beaurepaire.
The wine is showing a great pale yellow color with gold highlights. The nose is very delicate displaying aromas of white blossoms with just a hint of oak. In the mouth, the wine is very soft with a great deal of minerality, superb length and a tangy finish.
The Marjorie vineyard sits in the center of the Cristom Estate with a gentle slope from 480 feet to 600 feet over some of the most consistent volcanic soils on the entire Estate. A little bit unique to itself, most of the Vineyard is planted over a moderately deep volcanic soil with some very rocky areas in the north and southeast corners. The vineyard wants to produce elegant wines of finesse with bright red fruit and succulent acidity.
Review:
Dark ruby, the 2021 Pinot Noir Marjorie Vineyard takes on a darker mineral profile with forward aromas of wet stone, black raspberry preserve, and layers of baking spices and crushed purple flowers. Moving to the palate, the wine is medium-framed, with ripe tannins, an angular texture, fresh acidity, and a spicy finish. This certainly needs more time and will gain complexity with time in cellar.
-Jeb Dunnuck 95 Points
Darkly alluring, the 2021 Pinot Noir Marjorie Vineyard is perfumed with dusty violets and lavender, giving way to dried black cherries. Luxuriously round, with juicy acidity, this cascades across the palate with crisp raspberry fruits as rosy inner florals amass toward the close. Hints of blood orange pucker the cheeks as the 2021 finishes staining and long with long lingering chalky mineral tones.
-Vinous 95 Points