Francesco Rinaldi e figli
Piera & Paola Rinaldi
Barolo
Langhe - Piedmont - italy
story…
The founding of this historic and traditional estate dates back to 1870, when Giovanni Battista Rinaldi inherited a farmhouse and vineyards situated on one of the most important hills in all of Barolo, Cannubi. The wine production, which started several years later with the push and help of Giovanni’s sons, Francesco, for which the estate is named for and Giuseppe. Originally the estate was named Barale-Rinaldi, their sister Margherita had the last name of Barale. The first bottling from the family was in 1906 from their vineyards on Cannubi, or Cannubio as it was labeled then. In the 1920’s the two brothers split ways, Francesco kept the Baral-Rinaldi estate and Giuseppe went on to found the eponymous estate Giuseppe Rinaldi which is now run by his great-grandchildren, Carlotta & Marta Rinaldi. At this time Francesco also renamed the estate, Francesco Rinaldi e Figli, a name that the estate has retained since.
For around 130 years the Francesco Rinaldi estate remained relatively unchanged. Deeply rooted and dedicated to the traditions of Barolo and the Langhe. Most of the improvements during that time were in the form of vineyard acquisitions, thus adding to their incredible holdings on Cannubi. For much of the twentieth century the estate was under the watchful eyes and hands of Luciano Rinaldi, who took control of the estate in 1941. Luciano is a lifelong bachelor and dedicated the later half of his life to the estate, continuing what his family before him had done, producing long aging, traditional wines of the Langhe region. In the 90’s Luciano was joined by his two nieces, Paola & Piera Rinaldi, who eventually took full controll of the estate in 2002. Luciano continues to be around the estate and lives in Alba but Paola & Piera run all things winery related. The two also hired on Fabio Gemme to assist as enology & technical director.
Not much has changed, in the best of ways possible, and much like their cousins at Giuseppe Rinaldi the family continues to produce some of the most age worthy and traditional wines in all of Barolo. With the reins fully under their control Paola & Piera have implemented some “modern” improvements, mostly in the way of updated equipment: for instance they now have a mechanical press (Luciano did all crushes by foot-trodding), they have introduced some stainless steel, concrete and temperature controlling for ferments. They also have automated pump over systems on all fermentation tanks, reducing work loads and clean up as well as ensuring precise, gentle pump overs during their ferments. By no means have these improvements led their wines to be more “modern” in style. They continue to retain the elegant & rustic charm only found in traditionally produced wines of the Piedmont, but show a purity of fruit & aroma rarely seen from such traditional wines, particularly in their youth.
philosophy…
Traditional practices in both the vineyards and cellar are at the heart of this estate. They practice organic farming, but are not certified. The cellar work is about as traditional as you can get, say for the use of stainless steel, concrete, a mechanical press and the use of temperature controls, everything else is done as it would have been done 130+ years ago when the estate was founded.
Fermentations take place on native yeasts and depending on the wine or cuvée they are done in either stainless steel or cement, most under temperature controlled ferments. The reds, outside of the Grignolino, are macerated on the skins for long periods of time ranging mostly from 25-30 days. The subsequent wines are then aged in a mix of stainless steel, cement, or large Slavonian oak. Their whites and lighter, less structured reds typically are done in stainless and cement exclusively. All of their Nebbiolo bottlings, whether for basic Nebbiolo Langhe or for their top Barolo Cru’s are aged in large Slavonian oak.
Vineyards…
The estate vineyard holdings consist of around 10 hectares of vines spread across three main communes of Barolo; Barolo, La Morra, & Castiglione Falletto and these holdings make up the majority of their production. They also lease &/or purchase from other vineyards in the area.
Outside of their holdings in Cannubi & Brunate from which the produce single Cru bottlings from, they also have Nebbiolo holdings in Sarmassa & Vignane in Barolo; Rocche dell’Annunziata in La Morra; and Codana in Castiglione Falletto. These holdings total about 3 hectares of vines between the three communes. Their Dolcetto holdings all lie within the Barolo commune, including their single vineyard bottling of Dolcetto from the Roussot vineyard near Cannubi. They have Barbera vines in both Barolo & La Morra, with a total of around 1.2 hectares of vines. Their Grignolino d’Asti & Gavi bottlings are produced from leased vineyards or purchased fruit.
The clear standout holdings are their vineyards in Cannubi & Brunate; from which their most prestigious bottlings are from.
Roussot
a 1 hectare vineyard with a southwestern exposure located near Cannubi on a slope overlooking La Morra | soils here have a slightly elevated sand content and are as whole similar to Cannubi | vine age is between 40-45+ years old
Cannubi
a 2.8 hectare vineyard that faces southeast, planted in Helvetian & Tortonian soils and are characterized by their elevated sand content compared to other Cru’s in the area | 2.2 hectares of this vineyard are in the highly prized Cannubi Boschis portion which contains the estates oldest vines, 50+ years old
Brunate
a 2 hectare vineyard parcel that stretches across the commune borders of Barolo & La Morra, with a southeast facing | vines here average around 40+ years in age
