Light in weight, this supple red expresses strawberry, cherry, rose, mineral and eucalyptus aromas and flavors. Linear in profile and firmly structured, with fine balance and a lingering aftertaste of hibiscus and juniper. Best from 2025 through 2042. 550 cases made, 100 cases imported.??–BS??Region: Italy / Piedmont / Barolo Select to Add

This is racy and elegant, despite the tightly wound, firm tannins boasting floral and red berry aromas and flavors, with accents of mineral and leafy underbrush. Shows fine harmony overall, with the essence of fruit returning on the finish. Best from 2025 through 2042. 550 cases made, 100 cases imported.??–BS??Region: Italy / Piedmont / Barolo Select to Add

The Giuseppe Rinaldi 2017 Barolo Tre Tine was bottled in September 2020, and Carlotta Rinaldi tells me that the wine has gone through various moments of openness and shyness since then. The wine was a little closed when I tasted it this past summer, but its evolution is far from over. As you contemplate the bouquet, you sense lots of fruit, yet there is no excessive ripeness like you might expect from this hot and dry vintage. It shows elegant fruit weight, streamlined and silky, with dried violet, spice and rusty nail. It carries a medium texture that is elongated by the wine's integrated tannins and acidity. Tre Tine is a blend of fruit from Ravera, Le Coste and Cannubi San Lorenzo, and these latter two vineyards were harvested especially early in this vintage, starting on September 13, 2017, which is unusual for Nebbiolo.

Kirsch, cherry and floral aromas and flavors kick off, augmented by eucalyptus, tar, tobacco and mineral notes. Tightly wound, this is more expressive than austere, with fine-grained tannins and vibrant acidity driving the long finish. This should be superb in about 10 years. Best from 2023 through 2045. 600 cases made, 110 cases imported.??–BS??Region: Italy / Piedmont / Barolo Select to Add

"This is the kind of vintage you dream of," says Carlotta Rinaldi, as she pours her precious Giuseppe Rinaldi 2016 Barolo Tre Tine at the winery. The wine represents a watershed moment for Carlotta, as she remembers walking through the vineyards with her father (who passed away in 2018 at 69 years old) to taste the fruit before harvest. She thought it was time to start picking (on the 28th or 29th of September), and her father readily agreed, deferring to her expertise. This is a classic Rinaldi Barolo, a tribute to a father and his two daughters, with so much balance and fruit equilibrium. Vineyard management was a breeze in 2016, and the grapes meticulously developed nuanced complexity, tannic firmness and freshness to carry the wine over the long haul. Easy punch-downs were measured twice a day and pump-overs were hardly necessary before the cap became soft and supple about 25 days later (the Ravera in this blend of fruit, which also sees Cannubi San Lorenzo and Le Coste, can sometimes go up to 30 days, but this is rare). The wine shows sharp and linear fruit tones that add bright energy to the wine's silky, mid-weight texture. This is one for the cellar, as these beautiful results should only get better with time.