The 2006 Barbaresco Riserva Rabaja is deceptively medium in body. Dark, powerful and inward, the 2006 needs time in the glass to start gradually uncoiling from its presently shut down state. The finish is all silk, power and minerality, qualities that reflect its classical leanings to the maximum. Hints of dark cherries, wild flowers and exotic spices linger in the empty glass. I imagine the 2006 will need some time to come around, but it is likely to always be quite brooding in personality. 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