2010 Barolo Brunate

The 2010 Barolo Brunate comes from a small stash I acquired from a collector friend in Italy and is 100% Brunate, as opposed to the commercial release of this wine, which is in reality 85% Brunate and 15% Le Coste. Italian regulations allow producers to blend in fruit from other vineyards (up to 15%) and still list the name of the main vineyard in the label. Don’t ask me why this is. In France, a vineyard designate must be entirely from a single site, but we are in Italy here. As for the wine, itself, the 2010 Barolo Brunate is a towering monument to the glory of Nebbiolo in this magnificent vintage. Although it is naturally very young, the profoundness of the 2010 Brunate requires no real explanation.

The 2010 Barolo Brunate is a real treat to taste and drink, as it is a very rare bird. I thought I had bought the commercial release of the Barolo Brunate (which now includes 15% Le Coste juice), but opening the box led to a very positive surprise when I discovered several magnums of the super-rare 2010 Barolo Brunate, which, like the rest of these pure Brunate Barolos in this article (except the 1990) it was bottled only for the family and a single private collector. Two thousand ten is a watershed vintage for Rinaldi, because it is the first vintage in which Marta Rinaldi helped make the wine. The greatness of the 2010 is evident from the very first taste, as the wine shows off its volume and multi-dimensional personality. Above all else, the 2010 is a wine of spherical intensity. Even at this early stage, the 2010 Brunate is a Barolo of total and arresting beauty.

Expressive and defined, the 2010 Barolo Brunate delivers excellent definition and focus. The wine ushers forth a pretty ensemble of dark berry, spice and balsam herb aromas that are well balanced to form a harmonious wine. This pretty wine lends wattage to the classic 2010 vintage. Freshness and a firm tannic backbone give Barolo Brunate impressive length and elegant persistence.