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• Score: 95 Vintage 2017 Wine Spectator 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. Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 95 Vintage 2017 Wine Advocate The 2017 Barbaresco Riserva Rio Sordo (with 10,000 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." Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 93 Vintage 2017 Wine Enthusiast 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 Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 93 Vintage 2017 Vinous Media 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. Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 96 Vintage 2016 Wine Advocate The 2016 Barbaresco Riserva Rio Sordo takes it up a notch if you consider the tasting of each one of these single-vineyard wines tasted in order. With the Rio Sordo, you really start to feel the textural richness and fruit weight that can be achieved with Nebbiolo in a great vintage. This vintage is compact and tightly woven together, suggesting a forecast for an extra long drinking window. The Alutto and Marengo families farm the fruit used in this blend. This wine will live long, and I love that touch of candied licorice that appears on the close (especially when you come back to the open bottle 24 hours later). Production is 11,355 bottles. Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 95 Vintage 2016 Wine Spectator Eucalyptus, cut hay and licorice accent the cherry, plum and mineral flavors in this suave red. Firm and powerful, with assertive, nervous tannins and vibrant acidity. A bit jumbled today, yet there is energy and length on the finish indicating its future potential. Best from 2025 through 2045. 1,111 cases made, 200 cases imported. Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 94 Vintage 2016 Vinous Media The 2016 Barbaresco Riserva Rio Sordo is a serious, somber wine. Black cherry, plum, lavender, spice and menthol show off the darker side of Nebbiolo to great effect. In most vintages, Rio Sordo is an easygoing wine, but not in 2016. Readers will find a potent, brooding yet mid-weight Barbaresco that screams with character. What a way to start this tasting! Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 92 Vintage 2016 Wine Enthusiast With ample time, this eventually reveals camphor, ripe dark-skinned berry and new leather aromas that mingle with a whiff of truffle. The full-bodied palate is also on the shy side, suggesting dried cherry, blood orange, rusty nail and licorice set against assertive, closegrained tannins that grip the close. Give the tannins a few more years to unwind, then drink sooner rather than later. Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 96 Vintage 2015 Wine Advocate This wine usually falls somewhere in the middle of the Riserva continuum (starting with the most lithe and elegant wine and ending with the most powerful) presented by Produttori del Barbaresco in this knockout series of nine single-vineyard expressions. The 2015 Barbaresco Riserva Rio Sordo is another personal favorite. This group of Ovello, Rio Sordo, Asili and Rabajà (that sweet spot of neighboring vineyard sites in Barbaresco) is especially profound in 2015, striking a careful balance between elegance against power. The Rio Sordo offers tight and sharp fruit complete with a little tannic pinch or crunch on the close. Production is 13,333 bottles. Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 96 Vintage 2015 Wine Enthusiast Dark-skinned berry, camphor, rose and crushed stone aromas shape the nose along with a whiff of pipe tobacco. The aromas carry on to the structured, full-bodied palate along with juicy Marasca cherry and licorice. Firm, fine-grained tannins provide support. Drink 2022–2030. Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 95 Vintage 2015 Wine Spectator This is lush and harmonious, laced with cherry, plum, licorice, iron and eucalyptus aromas and flavors. There is also a verticality here, with lively acidity and dense, well-mannered tannins creating support and depth. A saline note graces the lingering aftertaste. Best from 2023 through 2045. 1,111 cases made, 250 cases imported Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 95 Vintage 2015 Wine Spectator This is lush and harmonious, laced with cherry, plum, licorice, iron and eucalyptus aromas and flavors. There is also a verticality here, with lively acidity and dense, well-mannered tannins creating support and depth. A saline note graces the lingering aftertaste. Best from 2023 through 2045. 1,111 cases made, 250 cases imported. Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 92 Vintage 2015 Vinous Media The 2015 Barbaresco Riserva Rio Sordo is one of the more refined, delicate wines in this range. The wine's small-ish scale and open-knit feel make it easy to drink with minimal cellaring. Even so, the 2015 has good energy and impeccable overall balance. Spice, leather, cedar, tobacco and menthol add lovely aromatic top notes. It will be interesting to see how the 2015 develops over time. Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 96 Vintage 2014 Wine Advocate The 2014 Barbaresco Riserva Rio Sordo represents a jump forward in structure compared to the other three vineyards (Pora, Pajè and Ovello) that were tasted before this wine. The Riserva Rio Sordo shows a dark and solid personality, with a tight core of black fruit that will relax and unwind with more bottle aging in the cellar. It is also slightly sharper and more focused in terms of mouthfeel, with the kind of tannic tightness you always get with young Nebbiolo in the cooler vintages such as 2014. Barbaresco lovers should jot this one down. Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 95 Vintage 2014 Wine Enthusiast New leather, camphor, red-berry and rose aromas lead the way on this vibrant red. The medium-bodied palate offers sour cherry, pomegranate and white pepper accompanied by bright acidity and polished fine-grained tannins that lead to a firm finish. KERIN O’KEEFE Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 94 Vintage 2014 Wine Spectator This red combines a rich, fleshy texture that verges on chewy with a firm structure and cherry, menthol, licorice, spice and mineral flavors. Dense, revealing tension and dusty tannins on the long finish. Shows terrific energy. Best from 2022 through 2042. 833 cases made, 170 cases imported. — BS Shelf Talker Full Page Review