Dolcetto from Piemonte isn’t widely appreciated. Much washes down lunch and dinner close to home but registers little on the wine radar when it does travel. Those growers still persevering with it do so as a labour of love as they could make a much better return from Nebbiolo, particularly as some have it planted, like Musso, on land where Neb would be eligible for a Barbaresco label. This one is particularly clean and bright. Red cherry, bakery spices, a little of that Langhe soil and clip of something savoury to finish. Firm but fair tannin and acidity make it so typically adept at coping with a good bowl of pasta. Bright and bouncy from a warm season. Would love to see what their 2016 was like from such a good vintage for Barbaresco.
13% alcohol. Diam, hooray. $23.30, a lucky bid at auction, $35 RRP indicates how undervalued, shhh.
93 points.
Another bottle on the winter solstice 2023 and Dolcetto’s sulky tendency to go all reductive has struck a bit. Lots of air and the fruit prevails but not the vivid freshness of the one above. Liked that one more.
90 points.
Cognitive Bottle Therapy 