September 19, 2023 - Excellent wine. Bright fruit. Well balanced and vigorous tannins / acid / body.
February 16, 2023 - Has everything you expect, it can be drank now but I suspect it to be better in 3-5 years. Not exactly a wow wine for me tonight, but given the price point, it delivers with grace. Glad I have 2 more left.
September 20, 2022 - Smashing vintage of the Rio Sordo - unsurprisingly of course. Ruby red, sunrise with age marks in the glass. Cherries, raspberries, cranberries, mint, licorice, orange zest, leather on the nose. Palate - v approchable - is vibrant, m+-acidity, fine-grained tannins through palate, lots of energy and superb mouthfeel. Concentrated juice, flavours as per nose. Bang-on, bone-dry and persistent, lingering tannic finish.
July 29, 2022 - Huge tar and roses nose, wow. Palette of soft, tart red cherries, cedar, and intense, fruit-driven tannins. Balanced, open-knitted power, into a long, earthy finish. Enjoyable now with several hours of air, this is a young, superb Riserva worth a hold.
May 21, 2022 - My first 2016 riserva from PdB, and my first Rio Sordo of any vintage. This Cru seems to have a lesser reputation than others in the PdB range, but that was not warranted here. This is an absolutely delightful wine, one that I could hardly stop myself from gulping down.
This is accessible in a way I would normally associate with a more mature wine, as the tannins are evened out like those from a wine 10-15 years from the vintage, not 6 like here. This texture is supplemented by a good freshness although the acidity did not seem pronounced. Strawberry, cherry and plum seemed to come together almost like in a savoury marmalade, and leather, mint, candied rose petals and tobacco completes the experience. This was so good that I actually don’t think this is for the long run but should be drunk in the next few years.
May 8, 2022 - Produttori del Barbaresco Rio Sordo Riserva 2016
This morning with a good friend. Great producer, excellent vintage. A lot has been written and known. So what's new ? Accessibility, readiness and quality.
Wonderful aroma waft from the glass: mint, leather, plums, cherry, tar hints; Palate - black fruits, leather, tobacco, spices and very soft and silky delicate tannins.
Summary: Better than expected from Rio Sordo and more ready to drink than expected from 2016 vintage.
December 30, 2021 - Opened for 2 hours. Color is quite dark ruby for a Barbareseco. On the nose: Rose, Cherry, red berries, forest floor and tar. On the palate: Tart Cherry, Strawberry, mixed red berries, lots of rose and big tannins. Flavors are decent in length and breadth. High in alcohol but you don’t really feel any burn. Wine is young and really needs time but with a few hours it’s open enough. These are great wines overall. I have been tasting through their single vineyards. I have said it before, this is a great Coop. Their wines are first class and I always have a few cases in my cellar.
December 5, 2021 - 2016 Produttori del Barbaresco Crus Plus a Few Older Produttori Wines (San Francisco): Ruby. More mint and smoke than the normale. Bigger than that wine with tobacco, great acidity, and round tannins. Dry, complex, and savory. Nowhere near ready.
November 26, 2021 - A private lunch (Restaurant Gebr. Hartering, Amsterdam, NL): Marvellous Barbaresco, excellent varietal typicity and terroir expression, an impressive marriage of elegance and density, primary fruit and autumnal aromas, floral lift and firm but finely grained tannins, convincing finish with a touch of liquorice, very good length. Already attractive, good future. Good value.
October 24, 2021 - My first of the 9 crus from the 2016 Produttoris. Everything but subtle, this Rio Sordo needed quite some time to open up. The bouquet starts with darker berries, some rose petals, tar and some slight blood orange zest. The palate has quite some gripp in the beginning but over time massive amounts of refined tannins cover your mouth completely. I would definitely wait another 5 years before enjoying this beautiful wine over the following decade. If this is a preview for the other crus than 2016 is a truly great vintage for Produttori Barbaresco.