Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo Vertical
I Trulli Restaurant, NYC
Tasted August 11, 2015 by kenv with 771 views
Introduction
The NYC Nebbiolo group formed through Antonio Galloni's Vinous forum put together this vertical of the wines of Giuseppe Rinaldi. All of the wine, except the first two were made by the current owner and winemaker, Beppe Rinaldi. The first two were made by Beppe's father, Battista. You can find much more information about the winery on my Rinaldi page:
http://www.finewinegeek.com/rinaldig/
Dinner was from about 7:30 to about 10pm. The food and service at I Trulli are terrific. This was a special evening all around.
Flight 1 - Starter (1 note)
Flight 2 - Flight 1: Wines Made by Battista Rinaldi (2 notes)
Red
1956 Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Double-decanted at 8am.] Onion skin edge. Earthy nose of leaf mulch and tree bark. Elegant. Tart. One of the few old Barolos that actually tastes like it has some Barbera in it. Jamie says maybe 20%. Holding up well for a nearly 60 year old wine.
Flight 3 - Flight 2: 1990s Wines Made by Beppe Rinaldi (3 notes)
Red
1997 Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo Brunate Le Coste
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Double-decanted at 8am.] Cloudy. Smoky black fruit in the nose. Thick, ripe, tart, tannic. Something is not quite right here. I think it's the vintage. I had a similar experience with a G. Conterno 1997 CF.
Red
1998 Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo Brunate Le Coste
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Opened at 1pm. Double-decanted at 6pm.] Complex licorice and red fruit nose. Rich and delicious. It would be easy to drink a whole bottle of this tonight. It doesn't have the structure of the 99, 01, 04, or 08, but it has a sense of balance and harmony that the 97 is sorely lacking.
Flight 4 - Flight 3: Turn of the MillenniumWines Made by Beppe Rinaldi (3 notes)
Red
1999 Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo Brunate Le Coste
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Double-decanted at 11am.] Heavenly nose of tar, rose, licorice and black fruit. Incredible structure, harmony, power and grace. Reminds me of the 1989 Brunate Riserva at a similar age. 98-??
Red
2000 Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo Brunate Le Coste
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Decanted at 8am for one hour.] Big, smoky, ripe fruit nose. Tart and ripe at the same time. The more it opens in the glass, the better it gets. Still needs some time, but impressive for this vintage. Balanced. 93-95
Flight 5 - Flight 4: 2003-2004 (3 notes)
Red
2003 Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo Brunate Le Coste
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Double-decanted at noon.] Lovely red fruit and mulch nose. Tannic, tart red fruit. Needs food to show well at this state. No sign of the over-ripeness typical of this vintage.
Red
2004 Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo Brunate Le Coste
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Opened at 11am. Not decanted.] Smoky red fruit and licorice nose. Young, with great structure and tannin. Great length. Similar to the 2001. Needs at least 10 years.
Flight 6 - Flight 5: 2007-2008 (3 notes)
Red
2008 Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo Brunate Le Coste
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Opened at noon. Decanted at 1pm for 4 hours.] After 14 wines, this blows through any palate fatigue. Amazing, gorgeous, complex, floral black fruit nose. Great richness in the mouth. If I have to pick one WOTN, this is it, but the 99, 01, 04, and 07 are all close behind. One surprising aspect to this 2008 is that has even sweeter fruit than the 2007, which sure doesn't fit the general view of these 2 vintages.
Closing
I thought the 2004 Cannubi San Lorenzo-Ravera was a bad bottle. I also thought the 85 Brunate Riserva was not a good example, though not a bad wine. The 97 BLC was odd, but consistent with other odd bottles I've had from this vintage. Otherwise, the wines showed brilliantly. Every one meeting or exceeding my expectations. When asked for my WOTN, I listed the 99, 01, 04, 07 and 08 BLC's as my WOTN. I was told I can't have 5, but I don't care. I rated all these in the upper 90s. Then the 98, 00, 03 BLC, the 93 & 07 CSLR, and the 56 were all in the lower-to-mid-90s for me. So many terrific wines!
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