Produttori del Barbaresco - Barbaresco Rio Sordo Riserva 2017 (750ml)
Price: $69.00
| Producer | Produttori del Barbaresco |
| Country | Italy |
| Region | Piedmont |
| Varietal | Nebbiolo |
| Vintage | 2017 |
| Sku | 1557296 |
| Size | 750ml |
Wine Spectator: 95 Points
Delivers depth and velvety texture which are a perfect foil for the saturated cherry and raspberry fruit flavors. Underlined by mineral and spice notes this is harmonious and long with a mineral aftertaste. Feels approachable now but this has structure and will age beautifully. Best from 2025 through 2043. ?B.S.
Wine Advocate: 95 Points
The 2017 Barbaresco Riserva Rio Sordo (with 10000 bottles released) has a mineral character and a sleek firm approach that gives this wine its special identity. The wine is polished almost glossy in texture with blackcurrant plum and wild rose and the tannins are gripping although the Rio Sordo sports a lean to medium-rich density overall. Produttori del Barbaresco has been hitting it out of the ballpark these past years with a string of excellent vintages that resulted in the production of their entire line of Riservas. However that good momentum comes to an end because the Riservas were not made in 2018. That vintage saw all the fruit blended into one non-MGA Barbaresco. And with the 2017 Riservas reviewed here you might find these bottles hard to find. Production was 30% lower in this growing season because of a very careful fruit selection process. In fact Aldo Vacca calls 2017 a "roller coaster vintage with frost then hail then a summer drought."
Vinous: 93 Points
The 2017 Barbaresco Riserva Rio Sordo shows the natural intensity of the year and yet retains a good bit of the aromatic lift that is so typical of Nebbiolo at its best. Silky perfumed and poised the Rio Sordo is impressive in this tasting. Spice and floral notes lift a core of red-toned fruit in this mid-weight yet packed Barbaresco from the Produttori. This has very fine potential. - By Antonio Galloni on September 2021 Aldo Vacca and his team at the Produttori del Barbaresco cooperative continue to turn out gorgeous wines that deliver a remarkable combination of quality and value. This year's releases include the 2017 Riservas and the 2018 Barbaresco. "Frost and drought were challenges in 2017 but not excessively so" Vacca told me. "It was an early harvest but conditions at the end of the season were quite favorable. We were more worried about drought than heat. In the end we found the requisites to make our Riservas but production for all the wines is lower than normal. Two thousand eighteen is another story. Disease pressure was high throughout the year. There were some diurnal shifts at the end of the season then a week where temperatures warmed before cooling again. The wines lacked color and depth relative to stronger vintages." In tasting the 2017 Riservas are certainly very good wines. As often happens in warm years the differences between vineyard sites are less marked than they are in cooler vintages like 2014 and 2016. The tannins are also less polished. Time will help to some degree but the wines will always show the personality of the vintage. Time on the skins was four weeks (as opposed to five for the 2016s) with submerged cap maceration at the end. Aging was done entirely in cask.
vWine Enthusiast: 93 Points
The nose offers cedar raspberry and balsamic notes suggesting camphor. On the chewy palate tight fine-grained tannins support ripe Morello cherry licorice mint and a hint of coffee bean. Drink through 2029. KERIN O?KEEFE
