Jay Kline

9.0

From magnum. Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of an hour. The 2021 pours a deep garnet color with a near opaque core; medium+ viscosity with no staining of the tears. On the make, the wine is developing with notes of cherry, cranberry, pomegranate, red flowers, licorice and a mix of cool and warm spices. On the palate the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium+. Well made. Drink now through 2036. — 25 days ago

Tom Casagrande

9.0

Fresh, tingly nose. Lots of bright fruit and a subtle almond note on the palate and a nice bitterish note on the finish — 4 months ago

Vasanth Balakrishnan

9.0

I certainly need more experience with #barbaresco but this was a lovely wine, #nebbiolo 🌹, bright fruit, red floral notes are there but much more subtle tar and earth notes with soft tannins and some lip-smacking quality on the finish. — 9 months ago

Angelo Casagrande

8.9

Soft, fairly light wine with mild tannins. Lot of cherry, bit of tobacco and licorice; didn’t find it all that fragrant, but it is a good value. Would go with a wide range of foods. — 9 months ago

Pippa

9.4

Crisp, very peachy, a little floral . Maybe white peach or mimosa? Nice acid but balanced. — 2 months ago

Victor Rauch

9.5

A Barolo in a perfect place. — 3 months ago

Jay Kline

9.5

Rounding out the flight of legendary Barolo estates, Francesco Rinaldi certainly takes its rightful place in the pantheon of Piemonte’s history. By 1970, the estate had been under the leadership of Luciano Rinaldi for nearly three decades. I can’t verify but I believe Luciano was sourcing fruit from Cannubi, Sarmassa and Vignane in Barolo; Codana in Castiglione Falletto; and Rocche dell'Annunziata and Boiolo in La Morra.

This particular bottle was poured into a decanter and allowed to breath for five hours. It was subsequently returned to its bottle a couple hours prior to service and enjoyed alongside the ‘41 Conterno and the ‘61 Cappellano. The 1970 Classico pours a ruddy garnet color with a translucent core and a slightly orange rim; medium viscosity with no staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is vinous with notes of ripe and dried Morello cherry, shiso, alpine herbs, cola nut, dried roses, truffle, and dried gravelly earth. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose, the finish is long. Stunning stuff. As expected, this bottle came across noticeably more youthful than the two elder statesmen poured alongside. An outstanding pairing with the agnolotti del plin. If this bottle is representative, there is still quite a bit of life left in this. Drink now with patience and through 2040+. — 5 months ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.0

2022 vintage. Medium heavy bod. Super-drinkable. Too drinkable. Needs some brakes but don’t foresee a brake job any time soon. — 2 months ago

Russ Kujan

9.0

2020 vintage. Apparently, Brezza Giacomo e Figli is a certified organic producer in Barolo, known for crafting high-quality Barbera d'Alba Superiore. This was a well-structured Barbera I found best decanted for 30 minutes. Black fruit, herbs and white pepper on the nose. Medium body with notes of blackberry, tart cherry. and dried herbs and a play between moderate acidity and tannin with a exceptional medium length finish. This was perfect with pasta puttanesca and tuna and white bean salad. — 4 months ago

M. Christopher Roebuck

9.3

Hi everyone! This is lovely (rare descriptor for me). Medium red brick color, medium plus body, medium plus alcohol but subtle. Nice acidity, and tannins make this absolutely drinkable right now-- 8/26/25 my 58th birthday, forgot to give everyone my new Miami address for bottled gifts 😜 . Certainly floral notes on both the nose and palate, but not rose, some cedar overtones, with an enjoyable minerality. It's lovely because it all comes together like a beautiful gift basket (pun not intended) that would impress a royal lady, but stand up proud for a gentleman. It will improve, but you don't have to let it!

93+ points — 9 months ago