Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
Tre Tine is Rinaldi's blend of Ravera (60%), Le Coste (20%) and Cannubi San Lorenzo (20%), confirmed on the cork. Harvest began in the middle of October with the southern expositions such as Cannubi and Le Coste, and ended with Ravera, a late-ripening southeast-facing site close to the forest. ‘In 2019 we had cool nights and the grapes were properly ripe,’ said Carlotta Rinaldi. Sweet violet dominates the nose, allied to restrained blood orange, wild strawberry and a whiff of funkiness; volatile acidity here is slightly received. The attack is refreshing, with juicy, velvety tannins leading to an elegant finish.
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James Suckling
Very perfumed with dried flowers, sage and sliced strawberry undertones. Some mushroom and bark. Medium-bodied and extremely sophisticated. Refined and polished tannins. Wonderful texture. A super well done 2019. Extremely drinkable now but will age beautifully.
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Wine Spectator
A racy, elegant red hallmarked by cherry, strawberry, wild rosemary, woodsy underbrush, iron and earth aromas and flavors underlined by grippy tannins. Offers a long aftertaste, where the fruit hangs around nicely.
Responsible for some of the most elegant and age-worthy wines in the world, Nebbiolo, named for the ubiquitous autumnal fog (called nebbia in Italian), is the star variety of northern Italy’s Piedmont region. Grown throughout the area, as well as in the neighboring Valle d’Aosta and Valtellina, it reaches its highest potential in the Piedmontese villages of Barolo, Barbaresco and Roero. Outside of Italy, growers are still very much in the experimentation stage but some success has been achieved in parts of California. Somm Secret—If you’re new to Nebbiolo, start with a charming, wallet-friendly, early-drinking Langhe Nebbiolo or Nebbiolo d'Alba.
The center of the production of the world’s most exclusive and age-worthy red wines made from Nebbiolo, the Barolo wine region includes five core townships: La Morra, Monforte d’Alba, Serralunga d’Alba, Castiglione Falletto and the Barolo village itself, as well as a few outlying villages. The landscape of Barolo, characterized by prominent and castle-topped hills, is full of history and romance centered on the Nebbiolo grape. Its wines, with the signature “tar and roses” aromas, have a deceptively light garnet color but full presence on the palate and plenty of tannins and acidity. In a well-made Barolo wine, one can expect to find complexity and good evolution with notes of, for example, strawberry, cherry, plum, leather, truffle, anise, fresh and dried herbs, tobacco and violets.
There are two predominant soil types here, which distinguish Barolo from the lesser surrounding areas. Compact and fertile Tortonian sandy marls define the vineyards farthest west and at higher elevations. Typically the Barolo wines coming from this side, from La Morra and Barolo, can be approachable relatively early on in their evolution and represent the “feminine” side of Barolo, often closer in style to Barbaresco with elegant perfume and fresh fruit.
On the eastern side of the Barolo wine region, Helvetian soils of compressed sandstone and chalks are less fertile, producing wines with intense body, power and structured tannins. This more “masculine” style comes from Monforte d’Alba and Serralunga d’Alba. The township of Castiglione Falletto covers a spine with both soil types.
The best Barolo wines need 10-15 years before they are ready to drink, and can further age for several decades.