Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo Vertical @ I Trulli Restaurant, NYC 8/11/2015

Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo Vertical
@ I Trulli Restaurant, NYC (8/11/2015)

The NYC Nebbiolo group formed through Antonio Galloni's Vinous forum put together this vertical of the wines of Giuseppe Rinaldi. All of the wine, except the first two were made by the current owner and winemaker, Beppe Rinaldi. The first two were made by Beppe's father, Battista. You can find much more information about the winery on my Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo page.

Dinner was from about 7:30 to about 10pm. The food and service at I Trulli are terrific. This was a special evening all around.

For each image, I have posted a compressed (and possibly cropped) version. Click on it to see the original, much larger image.

The gang's all here:

Jamie had just flown in from Europe, so he didn't stay for
the whole meal, but he did generously bring the 1985.

Starter

NV Jacques Selosse Champagne Brut Initiale - France, Champagne
Damn, this is good! Complex & toasty. One of the few Champagnes I think I could drink several glasses of. (94 points)

Flight 1: Wines Made by Battista Rinaldi

1956 Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Double-decanted at 8am.] Onion skin edge. Earthy nose of leaf mulch and tree bark. Elegant. Tart. One of the few old Barolos that actually tastes like it has some Barbera in it. Jamie says maybe 20%. Holding up well for a nearly 60 year old wine. (92 points)
1985 Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo Riserva Brunate - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Double-decanted at noon.] Cloudy. Quite rich and interesting, but not nearly as special as some bottles I've had before. (NR)

Antipasti

Bufala: Buffalo Mozzarella, Heirloom Tomatoes, and Arugala.

Good Bread and a tasty Cheese Puff.

Polpo: Baby octopus with Potatoes, Pickled Beans & Onions, and Black Olives.

Flight 2: 1990s Wines Made by Beppe Rinaldi

1993 Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo Cannubi San Lorenzo Ravera - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Double-decanted at noon.] Big, smoky, red fruit and floral nose. Rich and complex in the mouth. Very appealing tart fruit. I'm really impressed, given the vintage. (93 points)
1997 Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo Brunate Le Coste - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Double-decanted at 8am.] Cloudy. Smoky black fruit in the nose. Thick, ripe, tart, tannic. Something is not quite right here. I think it's the vintage. I had a similar experience with a G. Conterno 1997 CF. (NR)
1998 Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo Brunate Le Coste - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Opened at 1pm. Double-decanted at 6pm.] Complex licorice and red fruit nose. Rich and delicious. It would be easy to drink a whole bottle of this tonight. It doesn't have the structure of the 99, 01, 04, or 08, but it has a sense of balance and harmony that the 97 is sorely lacking. (94 points)

Flight 3: Turn of the Millennium Wines Made by Beppe Rinaldi

1999 Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo Brunate Le Coste - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Double-decanted at 11am.] Heavenly nose of tar, rose, licorice and black fruit. Incredible structure, harmony, power and grace. Reminds me of the 1989 Brunate Riserva at a similar age. Lots of upside! (98-?? points)
2000 Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo Brunate Le Coste - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Decanted at 8am for one hour.] Big, smoky, ripe fruit nose. Tart and ripe at the same time. The more it opens in the glass, the better it gets. Still needs some time, but impressive for this vintage. Balanced. 93-95 (94 points)
2001 Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo Brunate Le Coste - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Double-decanted at 8am.] Dark black fruit nose. Tannic, backward, brooding. Very young, but great harmony and structure. Needs 10 years. Quite classic. (97 points)

Primi

Dora's Handmade Pastas: Orecchiette, Cavatelli, and Fettucini.

Flight 4: 2003-2004

2003 Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo Brunate Le Coste - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Double-decanted at noon.] Lovely red fruit and mulch nose. Tannic, tart red fruit. Needs food to show well at this state. No sign of the over-ripeness typical of this vintage. (92 points)
2004 Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo Brunate Le Coste - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Opened at 11am. Not decanted.] Smoky red fruit and licorice nose. Young, with great structure and tannin. Great length. Similar to the 2001. Needs at least 10 years. (97 points)
2004 Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo Cannubi San Lorenzo Ravera - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Decanted at 8am for one hour.] Cabbage nose. Tart, sour, an off bottle. (NR)

Secondi

Brasato: Braised Short Rib with Roasted Potatoes and Escarole.

Flight 5: 2007-2008

2007 Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo Cannubi San Lorenzo Ravera - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Double-decanted at 11am.] Complex floral nose. Red fruit, structured, tannic, but loads of fruit. Impressive and delicious. Should be ready to drink sooner than most. (95 points)
2007 Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo Brunate Le Coste - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Double-decanted at noon.] Smoky black fruit nose. Incredible depth, richness, and complexity. This may be as great as the 99. (98 points)
2008 Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo Brunate Le Coste - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Opened at noon. Decanted at 1pm for 4 hours.] After 14 wines, this blows through any palate fatigue. Amazing, gorgeous, complex, floral black fruit nose. Great richness in the mouth. If I have to pick one WOTN, this is it, but the 99, 01, 04, and 07 are all close behind. One surprising aspect to this 2008 is that has even sweeter fruit than the 2007, which sure doesn't fit the general view of these 2 vintages. (99 points)

Summary

I thought the 2004 Cannubi San Lorenzo-Ravera was a bad bottle. I also thought the 1985 Brunate Riserva was not a good example, though not a bad wine. The 1997 BLC was odd, but consistent with other odd bottles I've had from this vintage. Otherwise, the wines showed brilliantly. Every one meeting or exceeding my expectations. When asked for my WOTN, I listed the 1999, 2001, 2004, 2007 and 2008 BLC's as my WOTN. I was told I can't have 5, but I don't care. I rated all these in the upper 90s. Then the 1998, 2000, 2003 BLC, the 1993 & 2007 CSLR, and the 1956 were all in the lower-to-mid-90s for me. So many terrific wines!

Last of the People Pix

Tasting notes posted from CellarTracker.

Mark Scudiery's write up of this dinner.

Eric Guido's notes on this dinner.