Barolo Rocche dell’Annunziata
The newest cru in the Rinaldi cellar, and already among its most acclaimed. The family purchased their parcel in La Morra’s iconic Rocche dell’Annunziata in 1969, but for half a century its old-vine fruit went into the classic Barolo blend — only with the 2018 vintage did it earn its own label. The results have been remarkable: a Barolo of ethereal perfume and weightless finesse, drawn from vines planted in the 1970s, produced in tiny quantities (roughly 3,000 bottles), and awarded some of the highest scores in the estate’s history.
Appellation: Barolo DOCG, Rocche dell’Annunziata
Type: Red, dry
Varietal: 100% Nebbiolo (Michet and Lampia)
Color: Ruby-garnet with orange highlights emerging with age.
Bouquet: An intensely fragrant, ethereal bouquet of rose, violet, camphor, forest berry, dried mint, and dark baking spice.
Palate: Warm, persistent, and harmonious — layers of ripe Marasca cherry, crushed raspberry, star anise, and sweet spice over pronounced stony minerality, carried by bright acidity and extraordinarily elegant, refined tannins to a long, lingering finish.
Alcohol: 14-15% (varies with vintage).
Serving Suggestion: 17–18°C (63–64°F); decant 1–2 hours when young) in a tall, fairly wide goblet.
Pairing: Tajarin with white truffle, roasted game birds, duck breast, veal with porcini, and aged cheeses like Castelmagno. Where the Brunate wants braises, the Rocche flatters more delicate dishes.
Cru: Rocche dell'Annunziata, municipality of La Morra — among the most historic and iconic sites of the commune
Elevation: 280 meters (919 ft) a.s.l.
Exposure: Southwest.
Vine: Nebbiolo Michet and Lampia. Planted from 1970-1983.
Training System: Guyot.
Soil: Sandstone and calcareous conglomerates — the "rocche" (rocks) that give the cru its name — providing excellent drainage; the greater sand content of the family's section imparts ethereal aromas of exceptional finesse
Harvest: Middle of October.
Vinification: Fermentation takes place in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks with an automatic pump-over system for a period of 25-30 days.
Aging: The wine is refined for at least three years in large-capacity (5,000 liters) Slavonian oak barrels.
