The 2018 Barolo Tre Tine is a super-classic wine. It reminds me so much of a wine Beppe Rinaldi might have made. Readers will find an austere, taut Barolo built on energy and tension more than primary fruit. It's the sort of Barolo that blossoms only with time in bottle. Spice, cedar, sweet pipe tobacco, dried cherry, macerated red cherry and anise start to open with a bit of coaxing. This is an intriguing wine, to say the least.

The 2018 Barolo Tre Tine is elegant and long, with pure cherry fruit, star anise, and pine, and is refined with fine tannins and snappy acidity within a medium frame. Notes of wild berries, cedar, and spice open to reveal more complex layers within this very attractive and classically styled wine. Drink 2024-2044. AF

Tre tine' is the name used by Beppe Rinaldi since 2011 to summarise Cannubi-San Lorenzo-Ravera, from which the grapes are sourced for this wine. Not one of the easiest Barolo tasted, it is more than restrained: reluctant and tight-lipped. It seems to be simple but indeed it's not. Leafy lightness on the nose is saturated with red currant and blood orange. The sternness dominates the palate in perfect Rinaldi style, with firm, muscular, grainy yet ripe tannins. Tension and some roundness make it classic; austere to drink now but with great potential for lovers of traditional Barolo. Drinking Window: 2023 - 2039
Tasted by: Aldo Fiordelli (at Alba, 26 Jan 2022)
Part of Barolo 2018 vintage report plus top-scoring wines