Francesco Rinaldi Barolo Cannubi 2016

If Barolo is the “King of Wines,” then Cannubi is surely its most hallowed throne. Located in the very heart of the village of Barolo, this vineyard is a geological marvel where Tortonian and Helvetian soils meet, and the 2016 vintage from the legendary Francesco Rinaldi estate is a study in why this site remains the gold standard for Nebbiolo.

In the glass, this is everything we love about traditional Barolo. It’s not about flashy oak or modern extraction; instead, it offers a hauntingly beautiful bouquet of crushed rose petals, wild cherry, and that unmistakable hint of anise and forest floor. Because of Cannubi’s unique sandy soils, the texture here is remarkably silky—an iron fist in a velvet glove—with fine-grained tannins that provide a sturdy architecture for years of cellar aging.

The Rinaldi family has been craft-focused since 1870, and their 2016 Cannubi captures a perfect moment in time. It is a bottle of immense purity and racy elegance that demands a seat at your table alongside a slow-braised osso buco or a rich mushroom risotto. While it’s showing beautifully now with a healthy decant, this is a benchmark bottle that will continue to evolve and reward the patient collector for decades to come.