Napa winemaker Tom Rinaldi told his daughter he would die a happy man once he finished writing his autobiography. On Sept. 6, a few days after completing the final chapter, he passed away in his sleep at his St. Helena home. He was 77.
The founding winemaker when Duckhorn Vineyards opened in 1978, Rinaldi went on to oversee the next 22 vintages there while establishing the California Merlot category for American consumers. His winemaking career spanned 50 vintages, including stops at Round Hill, Hewitt and Provenance (all of which he helped launch). Though he stepped back from day-to-day winemaking in 2014, Rinaldi continued to consult, while also helping to mentor a generation of winemakers.
“I was lucky enough to work with Tom Rinaldi right out of UC, Davis, in 1995,” said Anthony Biagi, who has made wines at Duckhorn and Plumpjack and now handles production at Hourglass and To Kalon Vineyard Co., among others. “Tom was one of the most passionate people I have ever met and that translated through to all aspects of his winemaking. He buffered this with a zest for life and a love of people that was unmatched. I guess you could say his EQ and IQ were equal, a trait that only a few can claim. His palate was also unmatched.”
A Path Toward Merlot
Rinaldi was born Aug. 8, 1949, in San Francisco. His mother emigrated from Sicily and married his father in Brooklyn, New York, before the couple moved west. Tom came of age during the Summer of Love in 1967 and met Jerry Garcia and Janis Joplin in Haight-Ashbury…