The 2021 Barbaresco Riserva Rabajà pours a jeweled red color and reveals layered aromatics of licorice candies, fresh cherry, redcurrant, violet, and crystalline mineral tones. Medium-bodied, it has excellent balance, with savory tobacco accents, refined red fruit, and beautifully shaped tannins. I love the structure here as well as the overall harmony of the wine. Roughly 19,431 bottles and 1,951 magnums were produced. Drink 2027-2050.

Based on growing intensity, the Produttori del Barbaresco 2021 Barbaresco Riserva Rabajà was tasted last in this series. It is beautifully defined by a distinctive mineral note of crushed chalk and flinty stone. There is plenty of elegant fruit with wild berry, sour cherry and blue flower aromas, but everything is framed by that precise dusty-mineral signature that gives the wine its strong sense of identity. The balance between fruit and minerality is especially compelling, with neither element overwhelming the other. Sourced from 3.7 hectares of vines on calcareous clay soils, Rabajà shows fine-grained tannins, exceptional length and a level of focus that places it among the standout wines of this remarkable vintage. Fermented in stainless steel and aged in large oak botti, production totals 19,000 bottles and 1,800 magnums.

There’s a core of cherry, raspberry, rose, earth and eucalyptus in this powerful yet reserved Barbaresco. Flashes of orange peel and amaro emerge as the vivid acidity kicks in. The tannins are accordingly dense, and this shuts down on the finish today. Nevertheless, there’s a majesty to this red and the sense of a thoroughbred waiting to emerge. Best from 2030 through 2050.

From the warm, southwest-exposed vineyards along one of Barbaresco’s most revered ridges, the 2021 echoes the complexity of soil and nuances of terrain with the resolute backbone this site is notorious for. With coaxing, it becomes rather evocatively scented. Sweet herbs and juniper emerge, followed by orange and baking spice, yet the austere palate still needs to catch up. All is simmering at the intense red berry core, while well-toned, muscular tannins provide plenty to chew on. These are stony and finessed but will require time. Mouthwatering and long on the finish.

Youthful and pure, a bit austere at the moment, showing earthy minerality, dark chocolate, restrained black cherries and red currants with Earl Grey tea aromas. Full-bodied and vibrant, this has elegant, velvety tannins, refreshing acidity and stunning savoriness with almost meaty depth. The multilayered, juicy finish is full of fruit, flowers and licorice. Not easy, yet outstanding. March 2026 release. Drink or hold. Aldo Fiordelli Senior Editor

The most structured and brooding Riserva from Produttori del Barbaresco, the 2021 Rabajà Riserva offers enticing scents of new leather, red cherry, citrus and forest floor that carry over to the full-bodied palate along with ripe raspberry, star anise and ground clove. Firm, well-integrated but clenching tannins provide the backbone.

(97+ points) The 2021 Barbaresco Riserva Rabajà is dark, powerful and explosive. That's the good news. Readers will have to be patient with this brooding, sepia-toned Barbaresco. Dark fruit, graphite, new leather, licorice, scorched earth and gravel add to an impression of muscular gravitas. The 2021 needs a bit of time in the glass to start opening, but when it does, it's magnificent. - Antonio Galloni, October 2025