"This is the kind of vintage you dream of," says Carlotta Rinaldi, as she pours her precious Giuseppe Rinaldi 2016 Barolo Tre Tine at the winery. The wine represents a watershed moment for Carlotta, as she remembers walking through the vineyards with her father (who passed away in 2018 at 69 years old) to taste the fruit before harvest. She thought it was time to start picking (on the 28th or 29th of September), and her father readily agreed, deferring to her expertise. This is a classic Rinaldi Barolo, a tribute to a father and his two daughters, with so much balance and fruit equilibrium. Vineyard management was a breeze in 2016, and the grapes meticulously developed nuanced complexity, tannic firmness and freshness to carry the wine over the long haul. Easy punch-downs were measured twice a day and pump-overs were hardly necessary before the cap became soft and supple about 25 days later (the Ravera in this blend of fruit, which also sees Cannubi San Lorenzo and Le Coste, can sometimes go up to 30 days, but this is rare). The wine shows sharp and linear fruit tones that add bright energy to the wine's silky, mid-weight texture. This is one for the cellar, as these beautiful results should only get better with time.

 | Robert Parker