1989 Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo Riserva Speciale Brunate- Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo (10/27/2014)
Served blind from magnum at a a Produttori dinner and stole the show. Best Italian wine I’ve ever had, by some distance. Translucent maroon. Intense, complex, shapeshifting nose of black cherry/plum fruit so fresh it could have been bottled yesterday; spearmint gum; bitter Amaro liqueur; leather; and flitting, highly unexpected scents of honey and horseradish. (Yes, really.) In the mouth it’s merely middleweight yet extraordinarily dense, depositing one layer of flavor after another like waves lapping ashore, with just the right sour touch and a truly remarkable tannic character–the structure binds the taste to the sides of the mouth long after swallowing without drying the tongue in the slightest. In the early stages of what I imagine will be a 20+ year peak drinking plateau. A revelation. (95 pts.)
This was the unexpected capstone of an already-excellent horizontal tasting of 9 1989 Produttori del Barbaresco wines at Maialino in NY. I was fortunate to sit across from Berserker Greg Dal Piaz who offered sage insight. I did take notes on many of the prior bottles–the Montestefano was the clear winner for me (say ~92 points if you’re scoring at home…or even if you’re alone), being the only one to deliver the floral character I look for in Barbaresco and the freshest cherry fruit alongside the licorice and balsamic-vinegar notes that were consistent across the crus. Of the remainder, the Ovello was the most balanced and clearly at its apogee (91-ish), while the others ranged from clearly tired (the basic Barbaresco and the Moccagatta) to chunky and awkward (the Asili) to thin and shrill (the Rio Sordo). The Paje kind of got lost in the shuffle, though I remember thinking the finish was off.
But that Rinaldi–oh, that Rinaldi!–was so head and shoulders above the competition (both tonight and in my entire wine-drinking career) that any attention I might have paid to the subtleties of the Produttori lineup got swamped by my need for just…one…more…sip of the sublime Barolo. Infinite thanks to Jamie of Chambers Street Wines for his generosity in teaching me what Piedmont is all about.
I think you’d have to do a vertical tasting of one bottling to track the evolution of Produttori winemaking. I will say that in general I’ve had a lot of trouble finding Nebbiolo in its “sweet spot”–they’re usually either too harsh and tannic and need more cellar time or they’re fruitless and DOA–so the fact that at least two of the Produttoris (the Ovello and the Montestefano) were firing on all cylinders suggests to me that the cooperative had a pretty good idea of what they were doing back then. But of course it’s possible that today’s bottlings will be even better 25 years from now.
Well, I Emailed the winemaker a few years ago asking him what he think is the best time to open the Produttori wines. He responded after 10 to 15 years.
Bruno Giacosa answered once: A Barolo without tannins is not a Barolo.
The question is: Style of the winemaker. Traditionel or not. Produttori wines are traditional wines and not modern. Therefore nobody should expect smooth wines.
And the always important question is: Were the wines stored properly?
The Produttori has always been a good and on occasion great winery. But the wines seem to find new levels of balance and finesse after 2000. Not sure if it was solely from changes in the vineyard, cellar or vintages. Maybe a combination of two or all three.
Yes. It gets an extra year of oak and has a different label, if I’m not mistaken. Jamie from CSW brought it and should be able to confirm if he’s lurking?
It’s the same wine. Technically, Riserva Speciale doesn’t exist after 1980, but Rinaldi had some old labels that were used as late as 1989 which still used that term. The ones I’ve seen that say “Riserva Speciale” are those with the bug on them. Scroll down here and you’ll see a magnum with an old 750 RS label that’s been altered for a mag:
The bottle I drank from last night is the one at the bottom of that page–not the one in the middle that says “Riserva Brunate” at the top of the label. What is the proper CT page for this wine, Ken?
Thanks for the fine notes. The 89 Rinaldi Brunate Riserva is a stunning bottle of wine. One of the best wines I have had in a long time.
And FWIW I love Produttori and feel it ages extremely well. I’ve had great blles of 67, 71, 78 Riservas in the last year (with the obligatory dead bottles from the same source so common with older Italian wines).
Ken, the first and second photos on CT (750ml) show the 1989 Riserva labels of the bottles I have.
Those hand written 1989s on your website look like the efforts of Giampiero.
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