2003 Barolo Cannubi San Lorenzo-Ravera
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Tasting notes
The 2003 Barolo Cannubi/S. Lorenzo Ravera is an excellent choice for drinking now and over the next few years. Smoke, tobacco, menthol, licorice and leather emerge from the glass. The aromatics are heading into their tertiary stage, but there is more than enough pure depth in the fruit to support another five years of cellaring, perhaps more. Although the 2003 is not an epic Rinaldi Barolo, it does provide a wonderfully complete drinking experience today. The tannins retain a touch of firmness and the flavors are on the dark side for this bottling, both the result of the very hot summer. The only real competition for the 2003 is the other wines that have been made here since then. This is a gorgeous Barolo in every way.
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Antonio Galloni, Vinous
Antonio Galloni, Wine Advocate
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The 2003 Barolo Cannubi(San Lorenzo)/Ravera is sweet and ripe with the essence of perfumed sweet cherries and raspberries. It is made in a soft, seductive style that is unusual for this producer and which makes the wine very accessible even at this stage. It is a great choice for near-term drinking yet also possesses enough freshness to age for another decade or more. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2019. I always look forward to visiting this small, family-run property as Giuseppe Rinaldi is one of the most entertaining producers in the zone. Armed with a wicked sense of humor, he is apt to keep visitors engaged for hours. Walking into the cellar is like stepping into the past, a time when the pace of life was much slower and still rooted in a more human tempo. Like all producers Rinaldi was faced with the prospect of an unusually early harvest. "I absolutely refused to pick my Nebbiolos in September, so I waited until the first of October," says Rinaldi. I have never seen anything like 2003. It was so hot that summer that on many evenings I would take a candle and good book and go sleep in the cellar." Rinaldi's 2003s are more successful than I had originally envisaged, yet his 2004s were rapturous when I tasted them from barrel a few months ago. Giuseppe Rinaldi's Barolos remain among the most rigorously traditional wines being made today. They will appeal most to readers looking for pure, unadulterated wines, that while not always perfect from a technical standpoint, never fail to deliver a memorable drinking experience. Importer: Vinifera Imports, Ronkonkoma, NY; tel. (631) 467-5907
About the producer
Giuseppe Rinaldi is one of the most famous names in Piedmont, revered for producing staunchly traditional, highly collectable Nebbiolo wines.