Rizzi Barbaresco Pajore 2017

Cellar for up to 15 year. No need to decant before serving.

Winemaker Ernesto Dellapiana is known for saying “I have a crazy love for the earth”, a phrase that embodies his drive and determination to make exceptional wine on his family’s 19th century estate in the Langhe. He left behind a city career to found Rizzi in 1974 and later added to the property by reclaiming a long-lost family estate called Cascina Boito. In recent years Ernesto’s two sons have taken over the running of the estate, tending to the family’s 40 hectares of vines with the utmost care and dedication.

The estate is named after the famous Rizzi cru, but this particular Barbaresco is made from their Pajorè vineyard which sits not far from the Barbaresco town hall. Here the southern exposure and the top quality calcareous and marl soils help to produce a robust but harmonious wine with plenty of personality. Following vinification the young wine is aged in large Slavonian oak casks for 12 months and concrete vats for another 6-9 months.

Delicate notes of wild strawberries, clove and dried herbs leap out of the glass, along with deeper undertones of ripe plum and baked earth. On the palate there’s a generous medium body balanced by a bright streak of freshness and a solid core of ripe fruit which lingers on the tongue. A great wine to cellar for a few more years or serve now with hearty game or red meat dishes.