Cascina Luisin Barbaresco Rabaja 2015

Encompassing eight hectares worth of 45- to 65-year-old vines, Cascina Luisin produces nervy, expressive, highly traditional wines from some of Barbaresco’s greatest sites—Asili and Rabajà among them. The winery employs low-impact farming, retaining grass and vegetation and employing only copper and sulfur to treat the vineyards, except in truly disastrous vintages such as 2002 and 2014. The wines ferment without added yeasts in old non-thermoregulated concrete vessels, with macerations lasting between 30 and 60 days (and sometimes as many as 90); aging is conducted in large Slavonian casks custom-built by the renowned Stockinger cooperage; sulfur is added only when the wines are racked, and bottling takes place without fining or filtration.

Grape variety: 100% Nebbiolo.
Harvest date: mid-October.
Vinification and fermentation: approximate 40 days in cement cisterns. First 8 days with frequent racking for strong extraction.
During the remaining days the wine rests gently for optimal extraction of noble tannins which is important for a good development and ageing. Malolactic fermentation and maturation in 30 hl Slavonian wood barrels providing for structure, elegance and characteristics Nebbiolo austerity.

The first breath entices with a medley of red fruits. Rabaja's terroir often expresses these aromas with a touch more finesse compared to other Barbaresco. Think wild strawberry, raspberry, and perhaps a hint of cranberry. Complementing the fruit is a floral whisper of rose violet, and a signature Rabaja characteristic – a touch of white pepper spice. As the wine breathes, hints of earth and tar may emerge, hinting at the underlying minerality.

pen_spark