2019 Produttori del Barbaresco Riserva Rio Sordo, Piedmont

Polished and loaded with finesse, the Produttori’s 2019 Rio Sordo Riserva is a dazzling wine. It opens with heady aromas of new leather, perfumed berry, cedar and spice. On the savory, elegant yet structured palate, a backbone of polished, silky tannins seamlessly supports ripe Morello cherry, white pepper, black tea and star anise. Fresh acidity keeps it balanced and intense. This needs a few more years to fully develop and promises great aging potential. Drink: 2028–2039. Abv: 14.5%. (Jan 2024)

98 points Kerin O'Keefe 

The 2019 Barbaresco Riserva Rio Sordo is quite deep in this vintage, with notable depth in its dark-toned fruit. This is an especially powerful Rio Sordo that is still coming together. Its intensity is palpable, even if I see less of the finesse that I associate with wines from this site. Today, all of the wine's energy is directed inwards. There’s a lot to explore in these new releases from Produttori del Barbaresco. The 2019 Riservas show a good amount of vineyard definition, but they are also marked by a strong, somber, brooding quality. “Weather was up and down during the last phase of ripening,” Managing Director Aldo Vacca explained. “We had one good week of weather, but then conditions would deteriorate before improving again. This required us to be especially selective, so production for the crus is down about 20%.” In vintages like 2019 that are hard to read, I typically revisit the Riservas once they have had

93 points vinous.com