Community Tasting Note

forceberry wrote:

Tuesday, November 23, 2021 - 100% Ruchè. Fermented spontaneously, bottled unfined and unfiltered. 13% alcohol. Tasted in a Rinaldi Rosae 2019-2011 vertical.

Deep and moderately translucent dark ruby red color. Quite aromatic but also dry and slightly restrained nose with dark-toned aromas of phenolic spice, some bretty notes of leathery funk, a little bit of brambly black raspberry, light perfumed notes of wilted purple flowers, a sweeter hint of cherry marmalade and a touch of licorice root. The wine is savory, crunchy and medium-bodied on the palate with dry flavors of licorice and earth, some tart dark forest fruits, a little bit of phenolic spice, light evolved notes of wizened red plums, a sanguine hint of raw meat and a bretty touch of leather. The overall feel is bright and sinewy, thanks to the high acidity and somewhat grippy medium tannins, which in turn are accentuated by the understated bitterness typical of Ruchè. The finish is long, somewhat grippy and quite intense with dry flavors of crunchy cranberries and tart lingonberries, some bretty notes of leather and stable floor, light peppery notes of phenolic spice, a little bit of brambly raspberry and a hint of bitter and slightly astringent chokeberry.

An excellent and so very classic vintage of Rinaldi's Rosae and probably my favorite one in our vertical. Quality-wise this was quite close to the excellent 2014 - a vintage which didn't seem to favor Nebbiolo as much as it appeared to favor Ruchè! This 2016 shows a great combination of quite ripe yet very dry and crunchy fruit, high acidity, subtly funky undertones, great intensity of flavor and firm, moderately grippy tannins that are perfectly in balance with the rather light yet not thin body. Compared to some more expressive vintages of Rosae, this feels like it is in a bit of a slump, but slowly coming out from it. Probably the wine isn't showing its best yet, but it is inching into its optimal drinking window and most likely will hit its peak in another 5-10 years. Simply excellent stuff and hands down one of the best vintages of Rosae I've had - truth be told, I find this wine more rewarding than most Nebbiolo-based wines, and that's saying something. This might not age as well as the best Barolos, but for shorter-term consumption this wine offers so much more. A riveting wine.

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