Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo Tasting at Wine Watch

“High and fine literature is wine, and mine is only water; but everybody likes water.” 
― Mark Twain

That’s all I drink is wine and water with a little Tequila and Scotch mixed in for good measure.  It’s all coming out in my new book the “Two Bottle Per Day Wine Diet”.  I’m in training and have to stay in good drinking shape for all these tastings like this “Once in a Life time” tasting featuring the wines of Giuseppe Rinaldi from the Piedmont

We have been followers of Rinaldi's wine for the last two decades and they are among the best wines produced not only in the Piedmont but anywhere on earth and we now have an incredible collection of older vintage Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo that we will be showcasing at Wine Watch at our vintage Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo tasting on Saturday, April 1st.

This rare offering of Rinaldi’s top cuvée which, through 1994, was the Brunate Riserva (100% Brunate) of the best vintages in the last 30 years in the Piedmont.  From 1993 on, this wine has been called Brunate-Le Coste and is made from approximately 60% Brunate and 40% Le Coste.  Finding these wines is not very easy as most of the estate’s production is quietly sold to longstanding private customers in Italy, Switzerland and Germany. 

As explained in the info below in the review by Antonio Galloni this Brunate-Le Coste wine will no longer exist due to a recent change in Piedmont wine law that states there can’t be less than 85% single vineyard to have that vineyard cru name on the bottle and you can no longer list more than one single vineyard cru name on the label.  The 2009 vintage was the last of the Brunate Le Coste making these older vintage wines even more valuable today as they will not be made like this in the future.

Updated Notes:  Law Changes and Rinaldi

The major thing I wanted you to know is that the wine we've known as BRUNATE-LE COSTE was made from 60% of Brunate and 40% of Le Coste fruit. That wine is now simply labeled as BRUNATE and is now an 85% Brunate, 15% Le Coste split. A BRUNATE labeled Barolo can only add a maximum of 15% non-Brunate fruit, per the new law. You cannot have two vineyard names on a label any longer in Barolo. If you produce your wine that way, you must create a "fantasy name" (i.e. "Tre Tine").. The production is now much less on this bottling from Rinaldi, I do not have exact numbers but I know that we are now getting a significantly lower percentage of cases imported to the US.

The wine we've known as CANNUBI-SAN LORENZO / RAVERA has historically been a blend of those two vineyards. Now, beginning with the 2010 vintage  that bottling is now called "TRE TINE" which means "three vats" and is a blend of those two areas (50% Ravera, 30% Cannubi/San Lorenzo  PLUS 20% of fruit from Le Coste)

Giuseppe Rinaldi Vertical Tasting at Wine Watch
Saturday, April 1st 2017
7pm

Tasting Wines:

1994 Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo Brunate Le Coste
Price: $231.00    Sale $203.28
Quantity in Stock: 8

Wine should still be drinking nicely not a great vintage for the Piedmont but this is a great producer and it is Barolo!!

1998 Giuseppe Rinaldi Brunate Barolo
Price: $219.75    Your Price: $193.38
Quantity in Stock: 3
(86 Points) Extremely high acidity as well as astringent tannin make this a difficult effort to evaluate. The color is a dark plum with amber at the edge. The closed nose reveals hints of tar, rose petal, cherries, and tobacco. The attack is elegant, but the high acidity and tannin combine to compress the mid-palate and finish. There may be more behind the acidity and tannin than I was able to determine, but this closed 1998 needs 4-5 years of cellaring to display its full potential. An austere style for sure, I am not sure the fruit will ever be able to overcome the wine's structural components.

2001 Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo Brunate Le Coste
Price: $240.00    Sale $211.40
Quantity in Stock: 12

(95 Points) The 2001 Barolo Brunate-Le Coste is big, plush and totally inviting. Layers of dark, balsamic-infused fruit blossom in the glass as this deep, spherical wine shows off its pedigree. There is little question the wine’s best days lie in the future. Readers who own the 2001 are in for a treat. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2031.  It has been a few years since I tasted Beppe Rinaldi’s 2001s. Both wines confirmed their place among the most successful wines of the vintage. As I have written many times, Rinaldi is the producer who adheres most closely to all of the tenets of the traditional school in Barolo.  eRobertParker.com #200, Apr 2012

2003 Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo Cannubi (San Lorenzo) / Ravera
Price: $180.00    Sale $158.40
(11 bottles available)

(91 Points) The 2003 Barolo Cannubi(San Lorenzo)/Ravera is sweet and ripe with the essence of perfumed sweet cherries and raspberries. It is made in a soft, seductive style that is unusual for this producer and which makes the wine very accessible even at this stage. It is a great choice for near-term drinking yet also possesses enough freshness to age for another decade or more. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2019. Wine Advocate #173, Oct 2007

2003 Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo Brunate Le Coste
Price: $180.00    Sale $158.40
(11 bottles available)

2003 Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo Brunate Le Coste Magnum
List Price: $378.00      Your Price: $332.64
Quantity in Stock: 6

(92 Points) Rinaldi’s 2003 Barolo Brunate/Le Coste is deeply flavored and intense, with more than enough fruit to balance its tannic structure. The characteristic balsamic notes that are typical of this wine literally jump out of the glass. This seriously long and powerful Barolo is also remarkably accessible and is a great introduction to one of Piedmont’s great wines. When tasted separately the different qualities of the two vineyards are striking. Brunate provides the muscle and complexity, while Le Coste gives the wine a measure of softness. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2019

2005 Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo Brunate Le Coste
Price: $178.00    Sale $156.86
Quantity in Stock: 4

The 2005 Barolo Brunate/Le Coste presents a darker shade of red fruit along with a more muscular, dense personality. This too is a relatively soft style for Rinaldi, and while some of the complexity of the finest vintages appears to be lacking, the wine nevertheless offers compelling balance and harmony. 92 pts Galloni

2008 Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo Cannubi San Lorenzo
Price: $161.00    Sale $141.68

(96 Points) Endless layers of dark, balsamic-infused fruit emerge from the 2008 Barolo Brunate-Le Coste. Tar, licorice spices and plums develop in the glass. Where the Cannubi/S. Lorenzo is seductive, the Brunate-Le Coste is all about power. Virile and imposing, the 2008 is likely to require another decade to start showing its true personality, but the truth is, it is already highly appealing. Violets, menthol, tar and rose petals are just some of the many notes that burst from this super-classic Barolo. The 2008 Brunate-Le Coste is another dazzling wine from Beppe Rinaldi and his daughter Marta. It is easily among the very best wines of the year. Anticipated maturity: 2020-2038.  Wine Advocate #203, Oct 2012

2009 Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo Brunate Le Coste
Price: $208.25    Sale $183.26

(93 Points) The 2009 Barolo Brunate - Le Coste shows immense beauty with a delicate aromatic embroidery of dried tobacco leaf, cigar box, dried cherry, laurel leaf and licorice. Of these descriptors, tobacco remains by far the most noticeable. The wine glides smoothly over the palate thanks to its integrated tannins and exceptional silkiness. Five to ten more years in the bottle will undoubtedly usher forth even more beauty to behold. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2028.   Wine Advocate #207, Jun 2013

Menu

Wild Mushroom Ragout over Creamy Parmesan Polenta

Braised veal Osso Bucco with Shaved Black Truffle and Spring Vegetable Risotto

Mixed Berry Creme Brulee

This is a seated event and there is only room for 14 guests, the fee for this tasting is $175 + tax.  For reservations call 954-523-9463.

Other Wines from Giuseppe Rinaldi Available:

2011 Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo Brunate
Price: $199.75    Your Price: $159.80

The 2011 Barolo Brunate has finally begun to awaken from its post-bottling slumber. Surprisingly open for a young Rinaldi Barolo, the 2011 is round, spherical and supple. Leather, smoke, menthol and tobacco wrap around a plump, juicy core of dark Brunate fruit. The 2011 is almost shockingly accessible. The breadth and creaminess of Brunate is evident, but at the same time, the Brunate is also clearly marked by the ripeness of the vintage. It will be interesting to see if the pedigree of Brunate comes to the fore with further time in bottle. At this point, the Barolo Tre Tine is fresher and better balanced. -- Antonio Galloni 92 pts

”The first time I visited Beppe Rinaldi, back in the Piedmont Report days, his small estate in Barolo was only known to a handful of insiders. After my tasting, I had the chance to purchase 5 or 6 different vintages. I did the best I could on a graduate student's budget. Today, Rinaldi's Barolos are some of the most sought-after wines anywhere in the world. And with good reason. For readers who want to understand what traditional Barolo is all about, these are reference-point wines. It's as simple as that. On a strictly personal level, these are among my most treasured bottles.”  Antonio  Galloni

2011 Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo Tre Tine Magnum
Price: $330.00    Your Price: $264.00
Quantity in Stock: 3

2011 Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo Tre Tine
Price: $157.50    Your Price: $126.00
Quantity in Stock: 15

Rinaldi's 2011 Barolo Tre Tine is super-expressive and gorgeous today. Dark red cherry, plum, cloves, new leather, rose petal and mint notes are all wonderfully alive and delineated. The Tre Tine is a blend of fruit from Ravera, Cannubi-San Lorenzo and Le Coste, all in the town of Barolo. In the warm 2011 vintage, the significant presence of fruit from Ravera, a high-altitude site, gives the Tre Tine its sense of freshness and linear energy. The Brunate is a bit richer and creamier, but today, I have a slight preference for the Tre Tine, as it is fresher, more vibrant and better balanced, at least today. Best of all, the 2011 will drink well with minimal cellaring. -- Antonio Galloni..93 pts

Antonio Galloni on Giuseppe Rinaldi:

"Beppe" Rinaldi is one of Piedmont’s most iconic producers. Historically his bottles have been hard to find because they are mostly sold to private individuals rather than the trade, meaning that large lots are nearly impossible to come by. These are among the most natural, unmanipulated wines being made anywhere. At times past vintages have shown some rough edges and excessive amount of volatile acidity, but those traits seem to belong to the past, as today’s wines are cleaner and better made. My recent visit was illuminating as I tasted everything in barrel from vintages 2004 through 2007. The rigorously traditional style is alive and well in these cellars. The wines are fermented in an open-top wood vat using natural yeasts. Temperature is not mechanically controlled. The wines see a longish fermentation/maceration and are aged in cask. Although Rinaldi has changed out a few barrels recently, the only concession to anything resembling modernity is an old-fashioned rotary telephone, which seems to genuinely annoy him each time it rings. Yields here have never been particularly low but the trend towards warmer growing seasons has resulted in beautifully ripe and fragrant fruit, particularly in recent years. One of things I admire most about Rinaldi is that he just goes about his business as he always has. He doesn’t give a hoot what I, or anyone else for that matter, thinks about his wines, and that suits him just fine. Prices have barely budged since I began visiting years ago. Rinaldi told me he thought generally pricing had gone out of hand. "It is, after all, just wine," he said.

One of the most amazing things about these wines is the fact that they are made essentially the same way that they have been made for decades.  The fermentation occurs in open-top tini, with punching down occurring on a daily basis and the task is usually preformed by hand and aging in large oak casks for three or more years.  Wine Advocate # 179, Oct 2008