Thursday, June 2, 2011 at Acquerello, San Francisco, California

For lovers of traditional Nebbiolo, only a handful of wines could rival the Produttori's Rabajá Riserva as the ultimate Barbaresco icon.

First made in 1967, one would be hard-pressed to find a Barbaresco of which so many great vintages have been made. As for its position in the Produttori nine-planet solar system, it wins our vote (by a hair!) for its uncanny marriage of sweetness and structure, and, of course, its trademark arboreal nuances.

At Acquerello in San Francisco, on June 2, 2011, we experienced virtually every important vintage of the Produttori's Rabajá Riserva.

Here was the line-up (several from magnum):

1967, 1970, 1971, 1978, 1979, 1985, 1989, 1990, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2004 & 2005 

Just as our massive Produttori dinners in New York and San Francisco in 2009 were the most extensive ever staged, this promised to be the ultimate look at what could be the single finest cru, Rabajá.

Acquerello, of course, needed no introduction to our clients. It is a temple of Northern Italian cuisine and has been the home of many of our greatest Nebbiolo dinners.