Francesco Rinaldi

Nineteenth-century origins

The family story began with Giovanni Rinaldi. During the nineteenth century, he recognized the potential of a vineyard-planted farmhouse on the Cannubi hill and purchased it. A coat of arms and the date 1870, engraved into a barrel vault in the oldest part of the Barolo cellar, mark the foundation of the winery.

Giovanni’s children and grandchildren continued the enterprise. In the early twentieth century, Michele Rinaldi—one of Giovanni’s four sons—helped introduce the family’s Barolo throughout Italy.

The Francesco Rinaldi name

In 1922, the brothers divided the family activity. The winery subsequently took the name of Francesco Rinaldi, Giovanni’s youngest son. Francesco strengthened the identity of the house and developed its commercial organization.

During the 1930s, Francesco transferred the bottling department and warehouse to Alba. At the time, rail was the principal means of transporting bulk goods and the railway terminated there, making Alba a strategically useful base.

Bottles of Barolo Cannubi and Barolo Brunate were served during events connected with Italian public life. In 1949, they appeared at celebrations marking Italy’s entry into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

The post-war generation

In the 1960s, Francesco’s sons Luciano and Michele continued the family business and steadily expanded the company. They also enlarged the original vaulted winery at Barolo. Barbaresco production was already associated with the family’s Barolo activity in the early 1960s; historical authorization permits its vinification at the Barolo cellar outside the Barbaresco production zone.

The family acquired the historic Rocche dell’Annunziata holding in La Morra in 1969. Nebbiolo vines in its upper sector were planted between 1970 and 1983. The lower sector was later planted to Freisa in 2020.

Plantings recorded elsewhere in the holdings include Cannubi Boschis parcels dating from 1967 to 1990, Barbera planted between 1972 and 2015, Dolcetto Roussot planted between 1975 and 1977, Brunate planted between 1979 and 1981, and the Nebbiolo vineyards used for the classic Barolo planted between 1980 and 1990. A Cannubi parcel and a younger Cannubi-area Nebbiolo parcel were planted in 2016.

Paola and Piera Rinaldi

In the 1990s, Paola and Piera Rinaldi assumed responsibility for the company. They adopted a more modern commercial approach and expanded sales outside Italy. The United States became the principal export market, followed by Northern Europe and parts of the Far East.

The historic cellar remains on the Cannubi hillside in Barolo. Traditional cellar work has been combined with technology intended to improve operational control while preserving the individual character of the wines. The underground maturation rooms, dug into the hill, continue to house the Slavonian oak casks used for ageing.

Three Barolo communes

The core vineyards occupy sites in Barolo, La Morra and Castiglione Falletto, presenting three distinct expressions of the Barolo production territory. Some holdings were inherited, while others were acquired later.

Castiglione Falletto is characterized by compact, marly soils associated with the Helvetian geological formation. La Morra has more clay-rich Tortonian soils. In Barolo, the Cannubi hillside forms a point of balance: limestone, clay and sand meet there, while Helvetian and Tortonian formations from different geological eras converge.

Cannubi

The Cannubi holding faces southeast and covers approximately 2.8 ha, divided between Cannubi Boschis (2.2 ha) and Cannubi (0.6 ha). The soil combines Tortonian and Helvetian formations and has a pronounced sandy component. The historic cellar itself stands on the Cannubi slope.

Brunate

Brunate extends across the boundary between Barolo and La Morra. The family owns approximately 2 ha, with southern and southeastern exposures. In the central part of the subzone, altitude ranges from 250 to 350 m. The predominantly limestone-clay or silty-clay soil contains less sand than Cannubi. Potassium and magnesium are among the microelements identified in the vineyard. The old farmhouse known as La Brunata stands within this historic holding.

Rocche dell’Annunziata

Rocche dell’Annunziata lies in La Morra. Its upper sector reaches approximately 280 m and faces southwest. Sandstone and calcareous conglomerates give the site its rocky name and provide effective water drainage. The lower Freisa sector faces southeast at approximately 200 m.

Other holdings

The Nebbiolo sites used for classic Barolo include Sarmassa and Vignane in Barolo, Rocche dell’Annunziata in La Morra and Codana in Castiglione Falletto. Across these communes, soils range from sandy and sandstone-bearing material in Barolo and Castiglione Falletto to more clayey, calcareous material in La Morra.

The Barbera vineyards occupy flatter, sandier ground on the Cannubi hill in Barolo and more clay-rich, calcareous soils at Zonchetta and Boiolo in La Morra. Their prevailing exposures are south and southeast, at altitudes of 200–320 m.

Dolcetto Roussot grows near the Cannubi subzone on sandy soil and on the slope facing La Morra, where the soil becomes more compact. That parcel faces southwest.

Cellar organization

The original winery occupies the Cannubi hillside at Barolo. Its oldest section retains barrel-vaulted rooms, while later extensions date to the 1960s. Crushing and fermentation take place in the working areas above the underground maturation rooms. These subterranean spaces—described as the “halls of silence”—are dug into and remain in contact with the hill.

The bottling department and warehouse are based in Alba, an arrangement established during the 1930s when rail was the principal system for moving bulk goods and Alba was the terminus.

Fermentation and extraction

Temperature-controlled stainless-steel and cement vessels are used across the cellar. The principal Barolo fermentations remain in contact with the skins for 25–30 days, with automatic pump-over systems. Other red-wine protocols use skin contact of approximately 15–20 days, depending on the material and intended expression.

The Freisa process separates a five-day maceration from a further ten days of fermentation after removal of the skins, an approach designed to retain freshness. Dolcetto is fermented with the skins in temperature-controlled stainless steel for approximately 15 days before several months of refinement in steel.

Maturation

Slavonian oak is central to maturation. The principal Barolo parcels age for at least three years in large 5,000 L Slavonian oak casks. Classic Barolo lots from different vineyards are assembled after racking and mature for approximately three years in the same large-cask format before further refinement in bottle.

Barbera lots are blended after racking and mature for at least one year in medium-capacity Slavonian oak. Nebbiolo d’Alba also spends one year in medium-capacity Slavonian oak before several months in bottle. Freisa matures for six months in 1,000 L Slavonian oak casks. Younger Cannubi-area Nebbiolo is refined in medium-capacity Slavonian oak, while Dolcetto remains in stainless steel.

The cellar combines established maturation practices with temperature control and automated pump-over equipment to improve process control while retaining the distinct character of the vineyards.