On April 27th after tasting two
white wines, an Arneis and a Gavi di Gavi, in the study group we then sampled
our first red wine – a Dolcetto d’Alba. This is not a “grid wine” for the Court
of Master Sommeliers’ Advanced exam but it is an important wine to know.
The Grape
Dolcetto is
a dark-skinned grape from the Monferrato hills of northwestern Italy.
The Italian word dolcetto means “little sweet one” and there are several
prevailing theories as to the origin of the name – the wine may have at one
time been produced as a sweet wine, it may be named after some local hills
where the grapes were cultivated, it has softer tannins than its neighboring Barbera and Nebbiolo grapes so it may be perceived as “sweeter” or the adjective may be a reference to its lucrative
properties as this wine required less ageing prior to release, hence it was a
source for quicker cash flow. The grape is also known as Nera Dolce and
Ormeasco.
Dolcetto d’ Alba DOC
Dolcetto d'Alba is one of seven Dolcetto-focused DOC wines produced in Italy's north-western Piedmont
region. It was granted its DOC
status in 1974, the production zone encompasses the Langhe hills east
of Tarano around Alba, including 25 communes in the province of Cuneo, as well
as the commune of Coazzolo in the province of Asti. Some of the vineyards also
overlap those of Barolo and Barbaresco. The vines are planted on slopes with
sandy, calcareous and tufa-rich soils where the Dolcetto grape thrives.
The Winery
The Sottimano winery was founded in 1974 by Maggiore
Sottimano in the Cottá region in hilly land for winegrowing in the south-western Piedmont called Langhe, in the
heart of Neive, which is well
known for its Nebbiolo grapes. Rino Sottimano then expanded the estate by purchasing
other prestigious vineyards: Currá, Fausoni, Pajoré and Basarin. The Sottimano family
cultivates 18 hectares (44.5 acres) of vineyard which are divided into five
“crus” of Barbaresco (Currá, Cotta, Fausoni, Basarin and Pajoré), one Dolcetto
“Bric del Salto”, one Barbera “Pairolero” and one dry Brachetto called “Maté”. The
average annual production is about 5,000 cases or 60,000 bottles of wine.[1]
The “Bric del
Salto” Dolcetto is blend of grapes from three vineyards of Dolcetto in Neive:
Cotta, Basarin and Curra. The average age of the vines in these three sites is
35 years old which is extremely old for Dolcetto. Winemaker Andrea Sottimano is
an avid sustainable/organic grower and only uses indigenous yeasts. The
malolactic fermentation is completed in stainless steel, where the wine remains
for approximately 8 months. No filtering or fining is done prior to bottling.[2]
The Wine
The 2012
Sottimano Bric Del Santo Dolcetto d’ Alba is a clear, ruby red at the core to
pink at the rim with moderate concentration, medium+ viscosity. On the nose it
has moderate intense aromas of very ripe pomegranates, red plums, cranberry,
ripe cherries, a hint of black pepper and spice. It is dry with medium tannins,
medium acidity with simple red fruit and spice driving a moderate length
finish. The wine retails for about $15 to $17 per bottle.
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