Tasting Notes
The Dogliani Dolcetto is the wine Nicholas was born to make: his family has grown Dolcetto in the Dogliani DOCG for five generations, in San Luigi, a small hamlet in the heart of the appellation. Nicholas took over the estate as a teenager, having convinced his father to convert to organic farming after years of suffering the chemical smell of the conventional spraying season. His father became ill and is believed to have been affected by the treatments; the conversion followed. Nicholas went on to work with Ferdinando Principiano as his mentor, making his first bottled Dolcetto in 2017 with only 1,500 bottles. He built his own winery in 2018. 100% Dolcetto from old vines on red clay (Terra Rossa) and white calcareous clay (Terra Bianca) soils in San Luigi; destemmed; fermented in concrete and stainless steel with indigenous yeasts; 10 months in stainless steel; unfined; unfiltered; minimal sulphur. Dogliani gives Dolcetto a structure and complexity unavailable elsewhere in Piedmont, where the grape is usually reserved for secondary vineyard sites. Good with salami, pasta, pizza, mild cheeses and all-purpose table eating.
Details:
- Grape variety: Dolcetto (100%), old vines, Terra Rossa and Terra Bianca soils, San Luigi, Dogliani; Dogliani DOCG; practicing organic
- Vinification: Manual harvest; destemming; 3-week skin contact; fermentation in 80% concrete, 20% stainless steel; indigenous yeasts; unfined; unfiltered; minimal sulphur
- Aging: 10 months stainless steel; 3–6 years drinking window
- Organoleptic description: Purple ruby; plum, black cherry, violet, light bitter almond, mineral core; medium-bodied, fine tannins, fresh and direct, mineral finish
- Food pairing: Salami, pasta, pizza, mild cheeses
