Location and History
The Azienda Agricola Rinaldi Pietro is located in Madonna di Como above Alba in the Langhe, in Piedmont, in Italy. According to the family, it has been producing wine at its current site since 1920. The production history spans four generations; Pietro and Costanzo Rinaldi are counted among the early generations.
Vines and Farming
The grape varieties in the vineyards around Cascina Cichetta include Dolcetto, Barbera, Nebbiolo, Arneis and Moscato. The vine rows are kept green; the vines are tended mechanically or by hand. The winery does without herbicides and synthetic products and uses cover crops to maintain soil fertility.
The cellar has temperature-controlled fermentation vessels. For processing, it uses gentle roller destemming and pneumatic pressing at low pressure.
Barbaresco San Cristoforo and Langhe Nebbiolo Argante
The Barbaresco DOCG San Cristoforo is produced from pure Nebbiolo from the same-named Menzione Geografica Aggiuntiva in Neive. The vineyard, which faces south-east, lies on the hills locally called “Bricchi” and is trained according to the Guyot system. Yield is 55 hectolitres per hectare with heavy thinning; the harvest usually takes place in mid-October and depends on the weather conditions of the vintage. Fermentation takes place at 28 to 30 °C over about 10 to 12 days with frequent pump-overs, followed by biological acid breakdown. The wine then matures for 16 to 18 months in a 25-hectolitre barrel made of Slavonian oak. The technical description cites floral, balsamic and mineral aromas as well as fresh acidity, soft tannins and a warm, enveloping finish.
The Langhe Nebbiolo DOC Argante is also made from pure Nebbiolo. Its vineyards in Alba lie on calcareous and clay-rich marl soils at an altitude of 280 to 300 metres with a south-west orientation. Trained according to Guyot, after heavy thinning they yield 60 to 65 hectolitres per hectare. The harvest takes place at about mid-October. Temperature-controlled fermentation at 26 to 28 °C lasts around 10 to 12 days; afterwards comes the biological acid breakdown and a twelve-month maturation in 500-litre tonneaux.
Barolo DOCG
The Barolo DOCG is made from 100% Nebbiolo from Verduno. The south-west-facing vineyards lie at around 300 metres above sea level and have chalky-clayey soils with white marl. The vines are trained in the Guyot system with 4,500 vines per hectare. After heavy thinning, the yield is 50 to 60 hectolitres per hectare; the manual harvest usually takes place in mid-October.
