Giuseppe Cortese
Pioneers of Barbaresco Rabajà: Since the 1970s, Giuseppe Cortese has crafted benchmark wines from the famed Rabajà cru, one of Barbaresco’s most iconic vineyards.
Family-Owned, Estate-Grown: Now in its second generation, the Cortese family farms sustainably and vinifies only estate fruit to preserve purity and terroir.
Traditional Winemaking, Timeless Style: Long macerations, spontaneous fermentations, and aging in large Slavonian oak define their elegant, age-worthy Barbaresco.
Graceful Wines with Depth: From the structured Barbaresco Rabajà to vibrant Dolcetto and a mineral-driven Langhe Chardonnay, every bottle reflects precision and restraint.
Giuseppe Cortese – Classic Elegance from the Heart of Rabajà
Giuseppe Cortese is one of those rare Barbaresco estates where tradition, family, and terroir come together in quiet harmony. Tucked into the hillside above the village of Barbaresco, the Cortese family has been farming vines in the prestigious Rabajà cru for generations. Today, their wines are a benchmark for the region: refined, structured, and effortlessly expressive of one of Barbaresco’s greatest vineyards.
The modern story began in the early 1970s, when Giuseppe Cortese, having worked for other local producers, decided to vinify and bottle his own fruit from Rabajà, one of the Langhe’s most revered sites. Situated at the meeting point of the Ovello and Asili crus, Rabajà is known for producing Barbaresco of striking balance: depth and power without sacrificing finesse. Giuseppe saw its potential early and devoted his life to capturing its elegance.
Giuseppe passed away in 2022, but his legacy lives on through his children, Pier Carlo and Tiziana, who now run the estate with the same focus and humility. The Cortese approach is rooted in tradition: careful, sustainable farming, spontaneous fermentations, and aging in large Slavonian oak casks for the Barbaresco wines. They work exclusively with estate fruit, which allows them to preserve a consistent, terroir-driven style across vintages.
The flagship wine is, of course, the Barbaresco Rabajà, which is widely regarded as one of the purest expressions of the cru: silky, structured, and remarkably age-worthy. In addition, the estate produces a Barbaresco classico, Dolcetto, Barbera, and Langhe Nebbiolo that reflect the same care and craftsmanship. Their white Chardonnay bottling, rare for the region, offers a fresh, mineral take on the grape, shaped by the Langhe’s cool microclimate.
Cortese wines are neither flashy nor forced, they are graceful, precise, and built for those who appreciate the quiet strength of classic Barbaresco. From one of the appellation’s most iconic sites, the Cortese family continues to uphold a legacy of integrity, rooted in the land and driven by generations of love for their vines.