2012 Barolo Brunate

Beppe Rinaldi is loquacious as ever and still very much a presence at his winery, although my distinct impression is that daughters Marta and Carlotta Rinaldi are pretty much running the show these days. The 2012s represent a big step up from the 2011s. Harvest for the Nebbiolos took place on October 6 and 7. Marta Rinaldi gave the 2012s about 30 days on the skins, with slow fermentations at slightly lower temperatures than normal. One of the changes at Rinaldi is that beginning with the 2012 vintage, the wines are bottled in the summer of the third year after harvest, which is fairly standard these days, as opposed to the spring of the fourth year.