2021 Barolo Brunate

Sisters Marta and Carlotta Rinaldi endured a challenging vintage in 2021. The April frost took with it 30% of the crop in Brunate and ultimately resulted in a significant replant of 70% of the vineyard. “The replant would have happened at some point in the near future anyway, but the frost forced us to do it sooner rather than later,” Marta Rinaldi explained. Readers should expect sharply curtailed production for the Brunate for at least a few years.

As always, the Barolos see 25-30 days on the skins with native ferments. Wines are racked into cask in the fall. Spontaneous malolactic fermentations take place the following spring in cooler years but can also be finished in the fall in warmer years. Time in cask is just under three years, with rackings in summer and fall. The 2021s were bottled in late August.

Over the last 10-15 years or so, the Barolos have become more delicate, which Marta Rinaldi ascribes to less intervention in the vineyard, better equipment and gentler winemaking overall. The Tre Tine is a very good example. Of course, the blend has changed a bit in recent years. Ravera, which is still the largest component, is a stronger performer in warmer vintages, and vines do get older, but the tannin profile has shifted from linear and a bit dry to more polished over time. In tasting, the 2021s are highly expressive of the year. The Brunate is impacted by severe frost. Second-generation fruit in the blend resulted in a Barolo that is decidedly on the lighter side. The Tre Tine is terrific, as is the Bussia, which has an exotic quality that is beguiling.