Giuseppe Rinaldi, 'Brunate-Le Coste', Barolo DOCG, Piedmont, Italy, 1996

Overview of the Wine
With the world increasingly enchanted by the magic of classic Barolo, Rinaldi’s wines have taken their rightful place among the most revered examples of the Langhe’s old school.

And this is just as it should be, for Rinaldi’s methods are among the most traditional among Barolo’s truly great producers and his wines are monuments to this approach—powerfully structured, hauntingly perfumed, very slow to mature and completely without concession to current fashion.

Rinaldi states his philosophy this way: “I don’t want a wine that pleases easily ... when someone says I like it or I don’t like it and that’s it”, he told The Art of Eating’s Edward Behr in 2000. Rinaldi wants Barolo that is “austere, severe, that demands research. It takes time. You have to study, to think, to understand, like all of art. It isn’t simple but complex; it doesn’t please right away. It’s the opposite of a mass-produced product. It has angles, not curves. It’s not easy. A good Barolo ... is adapted to long aging.”

To this end he farms organically, ferments with the indigenous yeasts in his father’s and grandfather’s ancient tini—tall upright oak vats—without temperature control for a month, punches down by hand and ages in old botti grandi for 3 ½ years.

Winemaker
Beppe Rinaldi

Grape / Blend
Nebbiolo

Origin
Piedmont, Italy

Winemaker's Tasting Notes
The aroma is ethereal, ample and enveloping; the taste is austere and flavorful. Serving temperature is 16-17 degrees C.

94 Points - Vinous
A big, powerful Barolo, the 1996 Brunate-Le Coste hits the palate with a rush of dark red and purplish fruit, violets, lavender and spices, all wrapped around a core of intense, searing tannins. If opened today, the 1996 needs quite a bit of air, but its explosive personality ensures there is no rush; the 1996 will drink well for a number of years, perhaps decades. This is a classic Rinaldi Barolo that is really meant to be drunk at full maturity, once the full range of tertiary notes have developed. In that sense, the 1996 might need another decade or more to be at its very best. This is as old-school as old-school gets. (AG)

94 Points - Wine Spectator
This is dark and brooding, with blackberry, plum, tar and treacle notes. Very fresh, with a healthy dose of earth, mineral and balsamic accents. More masculine, monolithic and square than the 1999. (BS, Web Only-2011)

Product size: 750ml