Dolcetto

DOLCETTO: THE FORGOTTEN CHOICE

There is so much to choose from out in the wine world these days, it is easy to see how consumers can get confused. It truth, in trying to cover all of the choices out there, we still neglect categories ourselves. With the holiday season upon us, there are lots of choices for feasts. But we must apologize that we haven’t really given any attention to one of the more versatile reds out there for this time of year…Dolcetto.

If you want a simple handle for the wine, think of it as Piemontese ‘Beaujolais’, not so much in flavor profile but in function. Dogliani, at its best self, is a fruit driven, bright, easy drinking quaff to wash down some pasta, meat, or plate of charcuterie. No one speaks of them in the terms of the icons of the region, Barolo and Barbaresco. But that doesn’t mean they don’t have an important place.

With the exception of Dogliani, where Dolcetto is king, Dolectto isn’t planted on the best part of the ‘bricco’ in most of Piedmont. But they serve well as the ‘house pour’, along with Barbera, at the table. There are many versions out there. Some can be a little too nervy, which will definitely narrow their appeal. But the gregarious, forward style in a warm vintage, in the hands of a talented winemaker, creates some excellent, well-priced all-purpose candidates for the table.

Italian aficionados already know this, but we think Dolcetto should have a broader audience because it has the potential to fill many niches. We happen to have a couple that we think will make friends and influence people because of their quality/price relationship and easy going, versatile styles. We usually don’t get a lot of help from the critics because Dolcettos are usually tasted in context from producers that are also trotting out a lineup single-vineyard Barolos. Often they don’t get mentioned at all. Are there 99 point Dolcettos? Not that we have ever seen, but that is totally not the point.

Beppe Ca’Viola is one of the most ‘important’ winemaking consultants in Italy. His own winery, opened in 1991, is in Dogliani where there aren’t ‘cru’ Nebbiolo vineyards. He has some small parcels in Barolo but his personal wines have been more recognized for flashy versions of the ‘lesser’ varietals like Dolcetto. The guy has a way of jamming a lot of fruit into his wine and the Ca’Viola Dolcetto D’Alba Vilot 2018, a single vineyard Dolcetto, harvested from 20-year-old vines, is a great demonstration of the Ca’Viola style.

Lifted, bright, juicy black fruits, medium weight but vigorous on the palate, just the right touch of acidity, this outgoing red will play beautifully alongside a variety of fare, even that holiday bird. All done in stainless, this is expressive, fruit driven, and easy to like. Since Beppe is more known for these types of wines, we even have a review from James Suckling, “Sour cherries, blueberries and lemon peel here. Medium body, fine, silky tannins and a fruity finish. Drink now… 91 Points.” We didn’t really get ‘lemon peel’ but we’re all over the ‘drink now.’ Like most of what we have tasted from Ca’Viola, this is a joy to drink.

We have been fans of Brovia for a long time, though we haven’t always had access to the wines. They have multiple Barolos that the critics are going to be much more attentive to, so we can’t roll out any reviews on this newly arrived Dolcetto. Unlike Ca’Viola, this is more of an ‘old school’ affair founded in 1863 with the fourth generation firmly in charge. Harvested from classic clay-limestone soils from plots in serious dirt (Castiglione Falletto and Serralunga d’Alba) some planted in 1981 and the other portion in 1993, the Brovia Dolcetto D’Alba Vignavillej 2018 has, again, inviting, deep color, volume on the palate, and is done entirely in stainless steel to preserve the gregarious fruit.

The profile here is more black cherry fruits as well as notes of plum, anise, and a touch of mocha. Sometimes this house can be a little rustic, but this time around it’s fleshy, fruit forward, and ready for action. Deep Color, aromas of dark cherry and mulberry, notes of violet and anise, reasonable size for the genre but a forward, juicy demeanor that encourages quaffing.

Both of these can be had for under $20, will play with a variety of fare as mentioned, and can be served with a slight chill if that is preferred. It can play with that American holiday bird as well.

SUPER DOLCETTO

Some folks might not understand getting super excited about a Dolcetto. But that’s because they have probably never had one like this. Frankly, not sure we ever have either. Dolcetto is widely considered a ‘small wine’ of Piedmont, something engaging and bright to wash down lunch from vines that usually occupy the lesser parts of the hillside. Doesn’t mean it can’t be delicious, and we have had many good ones over the years. But in Dogliani, the part of Piedmont that is dedicated to Dolcetto, the bar is higher. In the hands of a conscientious producer like Orlando Pecchenino, higher still. Yet even with that understanding, this bottling raised eyebrows.

We haven’t formed a sweeping opinion of the 2017s in this part of the world as yet. But we do know a couple of things. The vintage was warm and the grapes came in ripe. As this is not the norm, some vintners couldn’t quite handle it and there are still questions about consistency. But the vintage has thus far given rise to some of the most pandering, lushest Italian reds we can recall tasting. For the ‘oldtimers’, think some of the ripe vintages of the 90s like 1990 or 1997, but fresher thanks to better winemaking.

The Pecchenino Dogliani Superiore Siri d’Jermu 2017 is something of a freak. It has all of the classic lines…fine acidity underneath, a little bit of an almond skin nip at the finish. But the wave of gushing, opulent blackberry fruit, the plushness of the palate, and tender edges were unlike any Dolcettos we could recall. The wine had exceptional richness yet stayed uncannily light on its feet.

There are those ads with sports stars about ‘the soup that eats like a meal’. This gorgeous Dolcetto ‘drinks like a meal’, though you can certainly accompany it with actual food like a plate of salami, a meaty pasta, or something from the grill and it will play beautifully. The only problem is that people who aren’t familiar with Doliani Dolcettos might think they all drink like this. They don’t! The James Suckling ’92’ doesn’t even begin to convey our impressions of this Dogliani. A must-try for any fan of reds, this is a one of a kind effort.

LITTLE ITALY, PART ONE: DOLCETTO

Dolcetto days are here again. It has been tough couple of years for Piedmont. While Nebbiolo is king, the everyday wines like Dolcetto and Barbera are the mainstays of the vintners as well as fantastic food choices for us Americani. The problem for both was back to back ‘stinker’ vintages. Yes, thanks to some late sunshine, the 2013 Nebbiolos have been juicy, complex and dazzling. Everybody is looking forward to the Barolos and Barbarescos. But the Dolcetto and Barbera, often planted in the lesser sections of some of the top vineyards, got hit with untimely rain and couldn’t hang on until the sun shined. As to 2014, it was all kinds of difficult across the board.

For those reasons, there simply hasn’t been very many choices for the category …that is until the 2015s started showing up. It’s a brand new day, with ripe, plump and engaging examples of both started to show up on supplier lists. The success of 2015 hit Piedmont as well, and the Dolcettos are no exception. We dare say that the turnabout seems even greater here than most other European regions. Whereas in Burgundy, Bordeaux and the Rhone were also pretty good in 2014, in this part of the world it was not. So the difference between the 2014s and 2015s borders on staggering, the salient point being we have some seriously good Dolcetto at hand now.

The Piemontese love Dolcetto for its outgoing fruit, food versatility, and attractive pricing (the Piemontese are notoriously frugal). You can even put a slight chill on it for service on warmer days, and it will play with virtually anything from a hearty Italian stew to a plate of salume. It’s one of Italy’s best ‘little’ reds, and we’re pleased to have not only good stuff to sell, but really engaging juice to drink thanks to 2015. To that end we have three fine, fresh examples from some of our favorite sources.

The story of Olek Bondonio is a little unusual. Olek, who has eastern European roots as well as Italian, visited the estate he currently operates in summer as a child. He then made his name as a competitive snowboarder before becoming a winemaker. His family has been involved here for some 200 years but Olek only started making wine here in 2005. His Barbaresco comes from the Roncagliette, perhaps better known by the name used by his neighbor, Sori Tildin. He is very ‘hands on’ when it comes to working the vineyard but he is all about letting the vineyard shine through.

The Olek Bondonio Dolcetto d’Alba 2015 reflects that attention to detail with a great purity to the fruit and inviting scents of blue fruits, violet, and a little almond skin. Sleek and polished, the expressive fruit of the vintage is perfectly punctuated by fresh acidity and the kind of lift that makes this an easy quaff. It’s what Dolcetto is all about, with the extra added attraction of coming from storied dirt. The vines are 30-50 years old, all is done with native yeasts and gravity flow, and it’s bottled unfiltered.

Andrea Bosco is the passionate young owner of Bosco Agosatino, named for his father and founded by his grandfather in 1904. Again here all of the juice is state grown, all within the confines of La Morra, and the surface area of the estate is around 10 acres. The hillside faces south west and it composed of clay and limestone, and 70% of the Dolcetto vines are over a half-century in age. The fermentation is controlled and done entirely in stainless steel to both preserve the gregarious fruit and prevent the extraction of unwanted tannins. As you may have expected, Andrea’s single-vineyard Agostino Bosco Dolcetto d’Alba Vantrin 2015 is something of a fruit bomb with effusive blackberry and mulberry character, a streak of minerality and earth, and just enough cleansing freshness to keep things on point.

Finally, it’s hard to talk about things like Dolcetto and Barbera without mentioning perennial all-star Luca Currado who seems to do everything well all the time. Granted the young vignerons above have established themselves as players but no one is more passionate than the folks at Vietti. While Luca’s Vietti Dolcetto d’Alba Tre Vigne 2015 isn’t necessarily as ‘aristocratic’ as Olek’s (serious dirt for Dolcetto) or as ‘big’ as Andrea’s, it is plump, engaging and very likely to disappear while whatever the discussion is continues. Friendly and harmonious.

It’s great to have Dolcetto back on the shelves, and this time around we have some great Dolcetto thanks to our network of proven producers and the gloriously decadent 2015 vintage.