Giuseppe Rinaldi

Giuseppe Rinaldi is an Italian producer in the Piedmont sub-region of Barolo, the source of some of the most revered and valuable Nebbiolo-based wines of Italy. The Rinaldi family has generations of wine-related history in the region, originally selling grapes to the pioneering Falletti family. In 1870, the Rinaldi family started a winery, but Giuseppe Rinaldi branched out and bought his own, along with plots in some of the best vineyards in Barolo in the 1920s. Rinaldi's grandson, also Giuseppe, took over the estate in 1992.

Giuseppe Rinaldi represents staunchly traditionalist views on winemaking that have brought the estate into conflict with the Barolo Consortium. Most significantly, the estate has always maintained that the best wines from Barolo have always been blends from several sites, rather than the currently fashionable single-vineyard expression. Rinaldi's most prominent wines were blends from the Brunate and Le Coste, and the Cannubi and Ravera vineyards respectively, and were labeled as such. However, Italian law passed in 2009 restricted labels to a single designated vineyard or none at all, requiring at least 85 percent of fruit to come from the named vineyard. Giuseppe Rinaldi vocally opposed the changes.

As a result of the law, Rinaldi now makes two new wines from the 2010 vintage: the Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo Brunate, which uses the maximum allowance of 15% fruit from the Le Coste vineyard, and the Tre Tine, a blend of grapes from Le Coste, Cannubi and Ravera. Rinaldi has avoided 'new world' trends such as the use of French barriques or shorter fermentation times. As a result, the wines demand significant cellaring to reign in their high tannins.

The Rinaldi portfolio also includes a Langhe Nebbiolo, a Barbera d'Alba and a red wine made from Freisa, a little-known native Piedmont variety.