Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo Brunate 2015

96 points - Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, June 2019 The 2015 Barolo Brunate benefits from a thicker soil profile in this vineyard that consequently bumps the wine's aromatic intensity and staying power up a notch or two. This wine is almost crunchy in texture, with a subtle snap or crackle as it hits the palate. It shows enormous beauty and richness with a dark fruit profile followed by elements of spice, tar, tobacco and moist potting soil. There are floral notes as well with rose and lavender. This wine will reward those with the patience to wait. Less than one year has passed since Giuseppe Rinaldi, known locally as Beppe, passed away at age 69 on September 2, 2018. Yet, as I discovered during my brief visit to the winery the first week of May (pulling daughter Marta away from her lunch to taste with me because I was running behind schedule), the atmosphere at this historic winery (founded in 1890) is very much the same. Dim lights cast dark shadows in these damp and darkened cellars. Bursts of color come from a hand-painted portrait of the vintner famously nicknamed "Citrico" for his quick wit and sense of irony and from other random clutter and memorabilia housed in the tasting corner of the winery. At the end of my visit, Marta gave me a postcard with a photo of her father. I look at his image and see soft, intelligent eyes that do not reveal that Citrico, or sarcastic persona, that has long been attributed to Beppe Rinaldi. He wears a vest and long scarf in the photo. As I taste through these wines made by him and his daughters, I am reminded that great wine often transcends the identity of any single individual. It becomes a symbol of that person's legacy, left in the hands of those who care enough to continue it. Giuseppe Rinaldi is survived by his wife, Annalisa, and daughters, Marta and Carlotta, who oversee the winery and the vineyards, respectively, today. - Monica Larner