Rinaldi

History of Giuseppe Rinaldi

The Rinaldi family has been cultivating vines in Barolo for several generations. Battista Rinaldi, the founder of the estate, worked the vines of the Marchese Falletti di Barolo before becoming the owner of a small farm, selling his grapes and then embarking on winemaking, with a cellar established as early as 1870. In the 1920s, grandfather Giuseppe Rinaldi acquired parcels in the most prestigious crus of the appellation — Brunate, Le Coste, Cannubi San Lorenzo and Ravera.

His son Battista carried on the family work before passing the torch in 1992 to Giuseppe Rinaldi, known as Beppe. Nicknamed Citrico for his plain speaking, Beppe fervently opposed the modernist trends of the 1980s and 1990s and championed the values of traditional Barolo — blends of terroirs, natural winemaking and long ageing in large casks. Standing alongside figures such as Bartolo Mascarello and Teobaldo Cappellano, the estate became a benchmark. Beppe passed away in September 2018, and today his daughters Marta and Carlotta, supported by their mother Annalisa, carry on this legacy with the same integrity.

Terroirs and Vineyards of Giuseppe Rinaldi

The estate owns parcels in some of the most celebrated crus of Barolo. The Brunate cru, in the commune of La Morra, and Le Coste, in Barolo, are the historic pillars of the estate, complemented by Cannubi San Lorenzo, a jewel on the Cannubi hillside in Barolo, and by Ravera, in the commune of Novello. More recently, the Bussia cru, in Monforte d'Alba, has further enriched the estate's heritage.

These terroirs, with their calcareous and marly soils typical of the Langhe, lend complementary expressions to the nebbiolo — from the dense power of Brunate to the floral grace of Cannubi and Ravera. The family remains faithful to the conviction that the greatest Barolos have always been blends of multiple sites, rather than single-parcel expressions. The vineyard is tended with the utmost respect for the land, true to the spirit of independence that defines the estate.

Winemaking at Giuseppe Rinaldi

Winemaking at Giuseppe Rinaldi is resolutely traditional. Fermentations take place in wooden vats, followed by a long ageing in large neutral oak casks, with no use of French barriques or the shortened fermentation times favoured by modernists. The Barolo Tre Tine thus rests for approximately forty-two months in casks before bottling.

This approach, inherited from Beppe's father and grandfather, yields pure, dense and complex wines with firm tannins and vibrant freshness that require long cellaring to fully blossom. Following a change in regulations from the 2010 vintage onwards, which prohibited the mention of two crus on a single label, the estate reorganised its cuvées, isolating the Brunate and creating the Tre Tine blend to preserve the tradition of blending terroirs.

The cuvées of Giuseppe Rinaldi

Barolo Brunate: the estate's most legendary and powerful cuvée, composed predominantly of the Brunate cru with a portion of Le Coste, within the fifteen per cent permitted by law. Deep, dense and structured, it is a Barolo built for long ageing, with aromas of dried rose, cherry, tar and fine spices.

Barolo Tre Tine: a name meaning three casks, this blend of Le Coste, Cannubi San Lorenzo and Ravera is more floral, airy and refined. It expresses all the grace of nebbiolo, with vibrant acidity and precise tannins, and succeeds the former Cannubi San Lorenzo Ravera cuvée.

Barolo Bussia: a more recent cuvée from the Bussia cru in Monforte d'Alba, which enriches the range with a new expression of terroir, faithful to the estate's dense and profound style.

Langhe Nebbiolo: an elegant and accessible introduction to the estate's philosophy, this appealing nebbiolo offers a foretaste of the Rinaldi style, with notes of red fruits and flowers, in a more immediately approachable expression.

Barbera d'Alba: an expressive and indulgent wine, with vibrant fruit and lively acidity, which faithfully reflects the house style and pairs beautifully with Piedmontese cuisine.

Dolcetto d'Alba: a convivial and immediate red wine, with aromas of dark fruits and supple tannins, best enjoyed in its youth for its freshness and generosity.

Freisa: a red wine made from the indigenous freisa grape variety, a relative of nebbiolo, little known yet full of character, which illustrates the richness of Piedmontese viticultural heritage and the estate's attachment to traditional varieties.