Francesco Rinaldi 2024 Grignolino

The Wine

Grignolino is one of Piedmont’s more eccentric native grapes — light in color, high in acidity, and famously packed with seeds, which translates to a surprising tannic grip for such a pale red.

In keeping with that theme, this wine is like a featherweight boxer — very light and nimble but packs a big punch on the palate. In the glass the wine is a pale ruby, almost translucent, like it’s daring you to underestimate it. 

The nose is delicate, with enticing layers of rose petals, sour cherry, and a whisper of cinnamon. There’s a faint herbal note — dried thyme or fennel pollen — that adds a savory edge. The palate finesses the taster with tart red berries, rhubarb, and a touch of citrus zip. The tannins are fine and slightly grippy, a nod to the grape’s famously seed-heavy nature, but it's not overpowering. Instead, they frame the wine’s freshness and keep it dancing.

This is Piedmont’s version of a chillable red — quirky, charming, and unapologetically light. Serve it cool, in a wide glass, with antipasti, pizza, grilled trout, or a mushroom quiche. It’s the kind of wine that makes you lean in, not back. I think you're going to love this wine.

The Winery

Francesco Rinaldi & Figli is one of the most storied and traditional Barolo producers in Piedmont, Italy — a true standard-bearer for classic Nebbiolo. Founded in 1870 by Giovanni Battista Rinaldi, the winery sits in the heart of Barolo, with vineyards in some of the region’s most prestigious crus: Cannubi, Brunate, and Rocche dell’Annunziata.

The estate has remained family-run for generations and is now led by Paola and Piera Rinaldi, with the next generation — Elisa and Francesca — getting ready in the wings. Both generations have embraced the contemporary winemaking trends of Piemonte - long macerations and slow fermentations, aging in large Slavonian oak botti (9-ft high casks), avoiding new oak and minimal intervention in the cellar so that terroir and vintage variation are allowed to shine. Their wines are known for elegance, purity, and age-worthiness, in fact, their high-end Barolo wines often require a decade or more to reach full maturity.