Marta & Carlotta Rinaldi
GIUSEPPE RINALDI – BAROLO, PIEDMONT (BORN 1985 & 1988)
When Giuseppe Rinaldi passed away in 2018, he left the estate in the hands of his two highly capable daughters, Marta and Carlotta.
‘I was hooked as soon as I started studying at the oenology school in Alba at 14,’ says Marta. She began working alongside her father in 2009. Carlotta came around to wine more slowly. She had considered becoming a doctor but eventually settled on agricultural sciences. She spent some time working abroad, which included a stint at Felton Road in Central Otago. ‘My father taught me to have passions beyond wine,’ Carlotta shares. The lesson that stuck for Marta was ‘to have faith in the history and use it as a structure’.
Giuseppe’s daughters are as strong in their convictions as he was. They still fervently oppose the mapping of Barolo’s Menzioni Geografiche Aggiuntive, particularly the compromise with the cru of Cannubi, which was enlarged beyond its historical boundaries to include the adjoining subzones of Cannubi Valletta, Cannubi San Lorenzo, Cannubi Muscatel and Cannubi Boschis. They are equally outspoken about the region’s failure to prohibit herbicides. ‘It is unacceptable that Barolo hasn’t taken a decisive position,’ declares Carlotta. ‘This would be an example for all the other zones.’
At their own estate, however, Marta and Carlotta are not mounting a revolution. In the last few years, they have made small tweaks such as improvements in pruning techniques and upgrades in equipment technology. ‘But in terms of vinification, the spirit remains the same,’ Marta reassures me.
Giuseppe Rinaldi, Tre Tine, Barolo, Piedmont 2015 94
£ 233.33 (ib)-£ 256 Asset Wines,
Nemo Wine Cellars
2015 was warm: even during harvest temperatures reached 35°C, according to Marta. She did a shorter maceration than usual, only 20-24 days. Immediately expressive with gorgeous aromas of ripe summer berries on a background of balsam herbs, mint and moist earth. Gracefully proportioned, charming with succulent acidity yet still very tight on the finish. Nebbiolo’s grippy tannins sneak up. Needs a couple of years to reveal its nuances. Drink 2022-2038 Alc 14%