1989 Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo Brunate Riserva

One of the greatest wines of this era I have ever tasted, Rinaldi's 1989 Barolo Riserva Brunate is insanely beautiful from the moment it is poured. Chalky, dusty notes lead to sweet, balsamic aromatics that literally jump out from the glass before melding seamlessly into an expressive, layered core of fruit. Delicate and powerful at once, the wine reveals superb balance and a long, fresh finish. The color, bouquet and tannins all augur for a very long life, although I must say this bottle, from a friend's cellar (in Italy) is far better than any of the multiple bottles I have had recently from my own cellar. When I think of benchmark wines for Piedmont, Rinaldi's 1989 Brunate is one of my top choices.

The 1989 Barolo Riserva Brunate is insanely beautiful from the moment it is poured. Chalky, dusty notes lead to sweet, balsamic aromatics that literally jump out from the glass before melding seamlessly into an expressive, layered core of fruit. Delicate and powerful at once, the wine reveals superb balance and a long, fresh finish. The color, bouquet and tannins all augur well for a very long life, although I must say this bottle, from a friend’s cellar (in Italy) is far better than any of the multiple bottles I have had recently from my own cellar. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2025. Giuseppe Rinaldi’s Barolos are among the rarest and most difficult wines to source, as they are rapidly snapped up by the estate’s loyal, long-time clients and rarely appear at auction, especially in meaningful quantities. These two Barolos were breathtaking from the moment they were poured. The colors alone had me practically salivating with anticipation, as I knew the moment I saw these wines emerge from the bottle I was about to encounter something special. For starters, the wines were noticeably fresher than the same wines I have purchased and consumed often over the years, which leads me to believe bottles sent to the US were not treated as well as they deserved to be. Secondly, these 1989 and 1990s are the very rare Brunate-only Riserva, a wine Rinaldi no longer produces (officially). Long macerations, no temperature control in the cellar and extended aging in casks continue to be the rule here, and when Rinaldi gets it right, as he did in 1989 and 1990, the results are nothing short of extraordinary.

Giuseppe Rinaldi makes a very small amount of straight Barolo Riserva Brunate (as opposed to his Brunate/Le Coste cuvée) which is generally sold only to family and friends. It is a very rare and hard to come by bottling, so needless to say I was excited to drink this wine again. Sadly the 1989 was marred by high amounts of volatile acid (even for this producer) which detracted from this wine’s considerable depth and richness of fruit.