100% Dolcetto, fully destemmed, fermented spontaneously in open-top oak vats, aged in large oak botti. 12,5% alcohol.
Dark, somewhat translucent and slightly evolved deep cherry red color. The nose feels ripe, nuanced and slightly sappy with sweet-toned yet not sunny aromas of dark forest berries, some licorice root, a little bit of brambly black raspberry, light bilberry tones and a bretty hint of leathery funk. The wine is lively, wonderfully focused and very juicy on the palate with a medium-body and intense, fruit-driven flavors of fresh bilberries and ripe black raspberries, some gravelly minerality, a little bit of tart lingonberry, light crunchy notes of redcurrants, a hint of that leathery Rinaldi funk and a touch of tangy salinity. The structure relies more on the brisk high acidity, but the balanced, somewhat grippy medium tannins lend good sense of firmness and structure to the wine as well. The finish is dry, crunchy and somewhat grippy with a long aftertaste of tart lingonberries and cranberries, some blueberry tones, a little bit of stony minerality, light funky notes of leather, a hint of sour cherry bitterness and a touch of salt-cured beef.
A fantastic, fresh and very focused Dolcetto that shows more depth, character and complexity than one would expect from this often overlooked variety. The wine shows more focus and intensity than many Barolos and Barbarescos I've tasted, yet comes across as more playful and weightless than any typical Nebbiolo does. It's great to see how the best Piedmontese producers can make exceptional wines even from grape varieties that are often used for simple everyday wines. Although I enjoyed the 2018 Rinaldi Dolcetto (that was tasted next to this), it was easily surpassed by this vintage, all thanks to its outstanding brightness, freshness and crackling energy. At 25€ this has been a screaming bargain. Easily among the best Dolcettos I've tasted.
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Dark reddy black with a hint of purple. Lovely pure fruited floral nose, wild dark fruits.Tart dark fruits with a lovely silky texture and great length. Top dolcetto.
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Youthful dark purple. Pungent smoky mineral nose with a fair degree of animale initially softens with air to reveal truffle, dark earth, sloe and a hint of rose. Weightlessness of the palate is quite remarkable, initially very mineral/animale but breathes up quite savoury, black olive tapenade, no real fruit to speak of, some hints of marshmallow confection and Turkish delight, very fine tannins seem absent initially but exert a mild presence as time passes. Enjoyed over 5 hours the pungency of the mineralite and weightlessness were most enjoyable, but I suspect this is still relatively closed and the best might be several years still away?
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A nice Dolcetto, and as I usually find with the Rinaldi it's a bit unique in that it's darker and more savory than what I associate with Dolcetto from other producers. On the nose, there is juicy dark red cherry fruit, licorice, tobacco, and leather. Later in the evening with air, a hint of a salty, briney, olive note emerged on the nose, adding some complexity. The palate is fresh and light with dark red fruit and a bit of licorice and leather, and minimal tannin. It's an easy to drink, delicious wine yet with a bit of additional complexity vs. the average Dolcetto.
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Even better than the last bottle as the edges seemed to have smoothed out a bit and the tannins are a bit more integrated. Juicy yet dry. Plenty of structure but vibrant. Top notch dolcetto that paired perfectly with some stuffed Italian peppers.
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Crackling with energy. Savoury, with dried herbs and grilled meat aromas, top note of tar, kirsch cherry and dried herbs on midpalate, bracing acidity and raspy tannins, midpalate flavours with persistence. Superb for drinking now, a flexible accompaniment for many foods.
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Probably the best Dolcetto I've had, but at £34 a bottle it should be. Very clearly in the hands of a Barolo producer, there is fragrance that dips its toe into the savoury and chemical spectrum, but only just. Vibrant purple, the fruit is exuberant and youthful, like a blackberry coulis. I'd be curious to see where this goes with a few more years in bottle, but I can't see ageing really being beneficial, which brings us back to the problem of price.
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Very well made for the level but question whether the surcharge for the producer is worth it. A bit short on the finish as you would expect for a Dolcetto.
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Very youthful looking red with purple tinges. Very fresh and clean nose, lovely lightly fruited, floral and some sherbet. Similar on palate, smooth fruits but well balanced with acid and a little tannin for future development potential. Simple, easy going but very pleasurable and well executed.
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Popped and poured. Bright ruby color, very translucent. Nose of high toned red fruit, purple florals, hint of baking spice and herbs. Similar flavors on the palate with a juicy red fruit profile and a bit of bloody meat on the finish. Medium+ to high acid, medium+ tannin. A bit tightly wound but opened up after about 45 mins. This is a serious dolcetto and needs some bottle age. Great wine though.
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Initially very mineral, saline, kelpy, meaty (penile?). With a couple of hours air plush dark cherries and violets, very nice. Concentrated but weightless.
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Has a fresh nose of cherries, dried flowers and earth. The palate has red berry crunch with savoury nuance. It is Dolcetto that has build and the finish has some grip and nice length.
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Really quite floral and burgundian for a dolcetto, I found the usual blueberries, cherries and blackberries as well as some bitter olives, orange and herbs. The tannins are quite harsh and drying. The tannins might well outlive the fruit here but it might also come out the other end with something really interesting as this does not purely rely on fruitiness like some dolcettos might. I have to say I liked the overtly fruit forward 2015 more directly on release but a second bottle of that 8 months later seemed a bit lacking in structure, this 2016 might well show itself as more ageworthy.
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Easily the best dolcetto I've ever had and all I had to do to come to that conclusion was pour a glass and sniff.
Ok, this is a true story. My brother and I went to a 2013 Barolo tasting a few months ago and got to try 40 wines from all over the appellation. I'm not trained to sample 40 wines in a sitting and come away with anything more than a severe buzz, but after working my way through the whole lot, I told my brother that the Giuseppe Rinaldi was my favorite. Call me uninformed, I'll take the heat, but I didn't know that it was easily the most expensive wine in the whole tasting. In fact, I've always had a hard time keeping Francesco and Giuseppe straight, not to mention the half dozen other Piedmontese producers whose names sound similar. Non pìu! By the way, I don't automatically equate price and quality, but at this address, it appears justified.
The wine has an attractive purple flecked robe, not quite opaque but close. The nose is extraordinary, at least in my dolcetto drinking experience. There are blue and dark red fruits, violets, vanilla, a slightly meaty funky thing, it lures you in like a siren song. It's beautifully restrained in the mouth, at least during the first half hour, showing a level of elegance and finesse that again is completely unfamiliar to me in this grape. Supple and coiled, beautifully integrated tannins, clearly too young right now, but showing great promise, more like a young Burgundy. The 12.5% labeled alcohol seems to provide the perfect frame to achieve the elegant expression. Bravo!
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During visit. Explosive notes of dark cherries, graphite, flowers and also some tobacco. It's medium bodied, pure and has medium acidity and low-medium tannin. Good length. A delicious, juicy and fresh Dolcetto.
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10/22/2022 - forceberry wrote: 94 Points
100% Dolcetto, fully destemmed, fermented spontaneously in open-top oak vats, aged in large oak botti. 12,5% alcohol.
Dark, somewhat translucent and slightly evolved deep cherry red color. The nose feels ripe, nuanced and slightly sappy with sweet-toned yet not sunny aromas of dark forest berries, some licorice root, a little bit of brambly black raspberry, light bilberry tones and a bretty hint of leathery funk. The wine is lively, wonderfully focused and very juicy on the palate with a medium-body and intense, fruit-driven flavors of fresh bilberries and ripe black raspberries, some gravelly minerality, a little bit of tart lingonberry, light crunchy notes of redcurrants, a hint of that leathery Rinaldi funk and a touch of tangy salinity. The structure relies more on the brisk high acidity, but the balanced, somewhat grippy medium tannins lend good sense of firmness and structure to the wine as well. The finish is dry, crunchy and somewhat grippy with a long aftertaste of tart lingonberries and cranberries, some blueberry tones, a little bit of stony minerality, light funky notes of leather, a hint of sour cherry bitterness and a touch of salt-cured beef.
A fantastic, fresh and very focused Dolcetto that shows more depth, character and complexity than one would expect from this often overlooked variety. The wine shows more focus and intensity than many Barolos and Barbarescos I've tasted, yet comes across as more playful and weightless than any typical Nebbiolo does. It's great to see how the best Piedmontese producers can make exceptional wines even from grape varieties that are often used for simple everyday wines. Although I enjoyed the 2018 Rinaldi Dolcetto (that was tasted next to this), it was easily surpassed by this vintage, all thanks to its outstanding brightness, freshness and crackling energy. At 25€ this has been a screaming bargain. Easily among the best Dolcettos I've tasted.
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4/23/2022 - MattGeneve Likes this wine: 90 Points
Dark reddy black with a hint of purple. Lovely pure fruited floral nose, wild dark fruits.Tart dark fruits with a lovely silky texture and great length. Top dolcetto.
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10/24/2020 - kenv Likes this wine: 91 Points
Pop & pour. Smoky nose of red and black fruits. Ripe, tart, with a long tasty finish.
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9/23/2020 - Pancreatitis wrote:
Youthful dark purple.
Pungent smoky mineral nose with a fair degree of animale initially softens with air to reveal truffle, dark earth, sloe and a hint of rose.
Weightlessness of the palate is quite remarkable, initially very mineral/animale but breathes up quite savoury, black olive tapenade, no real fruit to speak of, some hints of marshmallow confection and Turkish delight, very fine tannins seem absent initially but exert a mild presence as time passes. Enjoyed over 5 hours the pungency of the mineralite and weightlessness were most enjoyable, but I suspect this is still relatively closed and the best might be several years still away?
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8/17/2020 - Robmcl920 Likes this wine: 90 Points
A nice Dolcetto, and as I usually find with the Rinaldi it's a bit unique in that it's darker and more savory than what I associate with Dolcetto from other producers. On the nose, there is juicy dark red cherry fruit, licorice, tobacco, and leather. Later in the evening with air, a hint of a salty, briney, olive note emerged on the nose, adding some complexity. The palate is fresh and light with dark red fruit and a bit of licorice and leather, and minimal tannin. It's an easy to drink, delicious wine yet with a bit of additional complexity vs. the average Dolcetto.
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5/6/2020 - Rich S Likes this wine: 92 Points
Even better than the last bottle as the edges seemed to have smoothed out a bit and the tannins are a bit more integrated. Juicy yet dry. Plenty of structure but vibrant. Top notch dolcetto that paired perfectly with some stuffed Italian peppers.
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1/30/2020 - lightning wrote: 92 Points
Crackling with energy. Savoury, with dried herbs and grilled meat aromas, top note of tar, kirsch cherry and dried herbs on midpalate, bracing acidity and raspy tannins, midpalate flavours with persistence. Superb for drinking now, a flexible accompaniment for many foods.
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6/18/2019 - depechemoroder Likes this wine: 90 Points
Probably the best Dolcetto I've had, but at £34 a bottle it should be. Very clearly in the hands of a Barolo producer, there is fragrance that dips its toe into the savoury and chemical spectrum, but only just. Vibrant purple, the fruit is exuberant and youthful, like a blackberry coulis. I'd be curious to see where this goes with a few more years in bottle, but I can't see ageing really being beneficial, which brings us back to the problem of price.
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2/4/2019 - the godfather wrote:
great dolcetto but agree that may not be worth the tariff for the name on the label
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2/3/2019 - JOsgood wrote: 89 Points
Very well made for the level but question whether the surcharge for the producer is worth it. A bit short on the finish as you would expect for a Dolcetto.
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1/25/2019 - Comte Flaneur wrote: 93 Points
Delightful and uplifting the best Dolcetto I have ever drunk by some margin.
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1/5/2019 - MattGeneve Likes this wine: 89 Points
Very youthful looking red with purple tinges. Very fresh and clean nose, lovely lightly fruited, floral and some sherbet. Similar on palate, smooth fruits but well balanced with acid and a little tannin for future development potential. Simple, easy going but very pleasurable and well executed.
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11/4/2018 - Rich S Likes this wine: 91 Points
Popped and poured. Bright ruby color, very translucent. Nose of high toned red fruit, purple florals, hint of baking spice and herbs. Similar flavors on the palate with a juicy red fruit profile and a bit of bloody meat on the finish. Medium+ to high acid, medium+ tannin. A bit tightly wound but opened up after about 45 mins. This is a serious dolcetto and needs some bottle age. Great wine though.
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9/26/2018 - cardsandwine Likes this wine:
2 hour slo-o. Still quite young. Good underlying pedigree, but needs some cellar time.
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9/17/2018 - Voodoo_Champagne wrote:
My first Dolcetto from Rinaldi, somehow a disappointment, plain ordinary!
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6/14/2018 - Pancreatitis wrote:
Initially very mineral, saline, kelpy, meaty (penile?).
With a couple of hours air plush dark cherries and violets, very nice. Concentrated but weightless.
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5/11/2018 - aekenback wrote: 89 Points
Pure, dark/blue fruit. Herbs and spices. Slightly bitter finish. Will probably benefit from time in bottle.
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5/6/2018 - Jeremy Holmes wrote:
Has a fresh nose of cherries, dried flowers and earth. The palate has red berry crunch with savoury nuance. It is Dolcetto that has build and the finish has some grip and nice length.
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1/20/2018 - jrick Likes this wine: 90 Points
Really quite floral and burgundian for a dolcetto, I found the usual blueberries, cherries and blackberries as well as some bitter olives, orange and herbs. The tannins are quite harsh and drying. The tannins might well outlive the fruit here but it might also come out the other end with something really interesting as this does not purely rely on fruitiness like some dolcettos might. I have to say I liked the overtly fruit forward 2015 more directly on release but a second bottle of that 8 months later seemed a bit lacking in structure, this 2016 might well show itself as more ageworthy.
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1/17/2018 - bevetroppo Likes this wine: 91 Points
Easily the best dolcetto I've ever had and all I had to do to come to that conclusion was pour a glass and sniff.
Ok, this is a true story. My brother and I went to a 2013 Barolo tasting a few months ago and got to try 40 wines from all over the appellation. I'm not trained to sample 40 wines in a sitting and come away with anything more than a severe buzz, but after working my way through the whole lot, I told my brother that the Giuseppe Rinaldi was my favorite. Call me uninformed, I'll take the heat, but I didn't know that it was easily the most expensive wine in the whole tasting. In fact, I've always had a hard time keeping Francesco and Giuseppe straight, not to mention the half dozen other Piedmontese producers whose names sound similar. Non pìu! By the way, I don't automatically equate price and quality, but at this address, it appears justified.
The wine has an attractive purple flecked robe, not quite opaque but close. The nose is extraordinary, at least in my dolcetto drinking experience. There are blue and dark red fruits, violets, vanilla, a slightly meaty funky thing, it lures you in like a siren song. It's beautifully restrained in the mouth, at least during the first half hour, showing a level of elegance and finesse that again is completely unfamiliar to me in this grape. Supple and coiled, beautifully integrated tannins, clearly too young right now, but showing great promise, more like a young Burgundy. The 12.5% labeled alcohol seems to provide the perfect frame to achieve the elegant expression. Bravo!
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12/30/2017 - Finare Vinare wrote: 91 Points
Strikingly well-defined fruit. Admirably managed tannins. A shadow of new wood. Silky texture. Long finish. Pure pleasure.
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9/8/2017 - NostraBacchus Likes this wine: 89 Points
During visit. Explosive notes of dark cherries, graphite, flowers and also some tobacco. It's medium bodied, pure and has medium acidity and low-medium tannin. Good length. A delicious, juicy and fresh Dolcetto.
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