2016 Giuseppe Rinaldi Dolcetto d'Alba

Community Tasting Notes (22) Avg Score: 90.7 points

• Options

  • Post a Comment
  • View forceberry's profile
  • Report Issue

  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.

  1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment

• Options

  • Post a Comment
  • View MattGeneve's profile
  • Report Issue

  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.

  Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment

• Options

  • Post a Comment
  • View kenv's profile
  • Report Issue

  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.

  Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment

• Options

  • Post a Comment
  • View Pancreatitis's profile
  • Report Issue

  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?

  Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment

• Options

  • Post a Comment
  • View Robmcl920's profile
  • Report Issue

  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.

  Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment

View all 22 Community Tasting Notes

Professional reviews have copyrights and you can view them here for your personal use only as private content. To view pro reviews you must either subscribe to a pre-integrated publication or manually enter reviews below. Learn more.