So, why Dolcetto?

[Jenise]

Well-known Washington State winery Woodward Canyon makes a dolcetto now, and so does Abacela in Southern Oregon. We opened a bottle of the latter last night. Both taste okay, but you've got to get past the very primary aromas of blue fruit, vinyl and vinegar to work that out, and that's not really worth the effort for most of us.

Another winery I visited recently in the Salem area has an estate vineyard planted to both pinot noir and dolcetto--the latter planted about five years ago by the former owner. The winery makes some of the most insipid pinots I tasted in Oregon. If the new owner has figured out what he's supposed to do with the dolcetto, he's not talking.

In short, so far as I can tell there is nothing particularly attractive or compelling about this grape when grown in the new world and bottled as a single variety (not that I can make the case for it's Italian cousins either). There's certainly no public clamor for it--your average supermarket wine shopper has never heard of it, and the geeks aren't begging for it. So why are they growing it? If I know of three wineries producing it, there must be many more. Is it by any chance being used as a blending grape? If so, aren't there better candidates?

[David M. Bueker]

Ego and enthusiasm. Mixed improperly they are combustible.

Palmina, perhaps the best Italian-variety producer in CA, makes a lot of Dolcetto, it's delicious, and they seem to be selling it successfully.

It isn't used for blending in its native region, I doubt anyone would plant it here for that purpose.

(I used to sell Palmina, but am now out of the CA wine business.)

Palmina, perhaps the best Italian-variety producer in CA, makes a lot of Dolcetto, it's delicious, and they seem to be selling it successfully.

It isn't used for blending in its native region, I doubt anyone would plant it here for that purpose.

(I used to sell Palmina, but am now out of the CA wine business.)

What Oliver said. KentRasmussen made Calif's first Dolcetto...in this ugly CobaltBlue btl. It was pretty delicious stuff. The Palmina is very good as well. Some of the Piedmonte versions are pretty tasty.
And despite what David claims...it's not an "ego" thing. Not if you're making Dolcetto. Unless you're charging $50/btl for it.
It's a perfectly good/tasty wine...most of the examples I've had, anyway. No reason for not planting it in the NW. Should make an interesting wine I would think up there, if properly made. Starting off 0-2 does not a season make, Jenise!!
Tom

[David M. Bueker]

My "ego" comment was in reference to the idea that they can get it to grow well and produce good wine (most can't). Pehraps hubris would have been a better choice.

My "ego" comment was in reference to the idea that they can get it to grow well and produce good wine (most can't). Pehraps hubris would have been a better choice.

That makes a lot more sense, David. I don't think I'd label anybody who's trying a new variety in the NW as full of ego for doing such. There's probably a lot of producers up there who have the competence to (eventually) make a good wine from just about any variety, assuming it was grown in the right location.
Tom

It seemed popular in Piemonte on our last visit for it's easy drinking & fruity, yet food friendly nature. Perhaps more easily/widely appreciated locally than some of the more tannic alternatives.

Personally I've yet to be wowed by one, though I did get another bottle of Marcarini's Boschi di Berri to give it a fair shot - this ones having a little time in the cellar though.

I do need to seek out a few more Barbera's though - one at Armando Brezza (where we stayed) had stunning complexity - much preferred it to their Barolo. Cascina Ballarin down the road was also pretty good from recollection & it's probably a better cellar prospect than we normally credit it.

Still, maybe the challenge is to take an underappreciated grape and grow it somewhere new to see what happens (Marsanne - Oz, Tannat - Uruguay, Malbec - Argentina, Sauvignon Blanc - NZ). In each of their ways, the preceding grapes have found a new and surprisingly successful home...

regards

Ian

Yeah, I don't think Dolcetto will ever rise to the level of "Wow!" but at its best it can be a pleasant quaffer for the money, a good restaurant wine for those of us cheapskates who generally prefer to drink their Barolos and Barbarescos at home. I'm referring of course to the Piemonte Dolcettos as I've never been happy with the American aspirants. But maybe there's hope. The Piemontese's best vineyard sites are reserved for Nebbiolo, so maybe one day Dolcetto will get more respect and better sites in the New World and produce a better Dolcetto there.

[Jenise]

Okay to all of you who so gamely stick up for Piedmontese dolcettos, I'll admit I've had some Luigi Einaudis that were quite excellent. But no others, and in fact the very first Dolcetto we ever had was an Italian we bought at an out of town liquor store (in So Cal) to accompany an impromptu picnic we put together on a whim, and the wine was so awful we dumped it over a cliff into the Pacific and had a wineless lunch rather than drink it. We'd have drunk anything even remotely palatable under those circumstances, so you can imagine how bad it was. But that might also explain some of my bias--good dolcetto has been rare, bad--or at least iffy--dolcetto, the norm. The easy drinking and fruity (and, I presume, non-vinyl) style Ian mentions has completely eluded my grasp.

I happened upon this post while drinking a glass of...Luciano Sandrone Dolcetto (unusual for me.) It is quite good for around $20. As for 'WOW' Dolcetto; Giacomo Conterno used to make a spectacular one, but I haven't seen it around for a few years. Anyone?

Viansa in Sonoma makes wines with quite a few Italian grape varieties. Their Athena Dolcetto was made in a fat and rich style, and was blended with a bit of Cabernet Sauvignon. I remember reading a number of years ago that it was their biggest selling red wine. After ownership passed out of Sam Sebastiani's hands, it became a non-vintage blend and seemed to carry a bit of sweetness with it. Perhaps they were just trying to give it some broader market appeal. That was when I dropped out of the Viansa wine club and lost track of their products.

-- Clark

[David M. Bueker]

I've never been a fan of Dolcetto, but did have some good, if nameless, ones while I was in Torino this summer. Somehow I think Dolcetto might be one of those wines that is best drunk in situ. It's a very rare Dolcetto that I have been able to enjoy outside of Italy.

A couple dolcetto worth trying. Some are easy drinking and fruity but many I've had are much more structured and shorter term ageworthy, sort of like a good cru Beaujolais.

Poderi Aldo Conterno Dolcetto Il Masante Bussia di Monforte - This one actually comes closest to easy drinking and fruity, particularly the '03.
Guiseppe Mascarello Dolcetto d’Alba Santo Stefano di Perno - Another good every day table wine. The '01 was wonderfully ballanced. 02 and 03 were a bit short on acid.
G. Mascarello Dolcetto d’Alba Bricco - more depth and complexity than the Stefano. This is lovely and should age well. '01 was a killer. '04 was lighter and also yummy.
San Fereolo Dolcetto di Dogliani Valdibà - more modern and larger than Mascarello or Conterno. Typically needs 3-4yrs of aging. More for having with beef stew.
Roagna Dolcetto d'Alba - '05 was more along the easy drinking/fruity class, '04 was big and brash but very very good.

Giacomo Conterno used to make a spectacular one, but I haven't seen it around for a few years. Anyone?

Best I can tell using CellarTracker, G. Conterno made dolcetto from 1996-2000.

uhhh...Because they can't grow nebbiolo??

I'm bemused by this thread; I love Dolcetto, and not just because I sell it (rather the other way around). It's the most commonly drunk wine in one of the best eating areas in Italy, there has to be a reason.

Ten or fifteen years ago there were lots of reductive Dolcettos being made, even by good producers of Nebbiolo; to find the good in those wines you had to splash them around. These days the best producers are all using micro-oxygenation to eliminate rubbery aromas, the wines are way more expressive and drinkable immediately on opening.

The current problem is that the phrase 'Dolcetto is the Beaujolais of Italy' somehow got stuck in the Top Ten Cliches of the Wine Press, and peoples' expectation of the wine has gotten twisted. Good Dolcetto is dark in color, robust and blackberry/tealeaf/inky in aroma, and beefy on the palate; substantial tannins aren't unusual. I can't think of a single similarity to Beaujolais.

If there were more of you in this area I'd suggest a Dolcettothon in SF to prove my point; maybe one day...

A Dolcinettothon sounds lovely, Oliver. I live in Solano County.

The current problem is that the phrase 'Dolcetto is the Beaujolais of Italy' somehow got stuck in the Top Ten Cliches of the Wine Press, and peoples' expectation of the wine has gotten twisted. Good Dolcetto is dark in color, robust and blackberry/tealeaf/inky in aroma, and beefy on the palate; substantial tannins aren't unusual. I can't think of a single similarity to Beaujolais.

When I first started learning about wine (which..I assure you...was not THAT long ago), I, too, read that phrase. And every time I'd try a Dolcetto, I'd just shake my head in puzzlement. "Beaujolais"??? Not even close to Beaujolais. I don't think I've ever had a Dolcetto that ever brought to mind a Beaujolais. Maybe there are some Dolcetto Novellas out there, but I've not seen them.
Actually, I prefer the Dolcettos from Dogliani to those of Alba/Asti. I'd even give a strong rec for the one Oliver sells...but I don't want to come off as pimping Oliver's wines!!
Tom

[Robin Garr]

When I first started learning about wine (which..I assure you...was not THAT long ago), I, too, read that phrase. And every time I'd try a Dolcetto, I'd just shake my head in puzzlement. "Beaujolais"??? Not even close to Beaujolais. I don't think I've ever had a Dolcetto that ever brought to mind a Beaujolais. Maybe there are some Dolcetto Novellas out there, but I've not seen them.

I've followed Dolcetto from the very start, or at least just about as long as TomHill has , and I formed a cynical theory about this back in the '80s: At that point, when Italy was just waking up and starting to shoot for a reputation higher than wicker-basket Chianti, some of the then-big name wine writers were so dismissive of regional Italian wines that they knocked off comments about them without actually tasting them. "Oh, 'Dolcetto' means 'Little Sweetie'? It must be like Beaujolais, then."

All it takes is a couple of big-book references (I'm almost certain that Terry Robrds' old New York Times Wine Encyclopedia was one of them), and a myth is born.

[Jenise]

Good Dolcetto is dark in color, robust and blackberry/tealeaf/inky in aroma, and beefy on the palate; substantial tannins aren't unusual. I can't think of a single similarity to Beaujolais.

So the Luigi Einaudis I enjoyed are in fact indicative, even though they've been the exceptions in my experience? I'm also glad you mentioned the "rubbery aromas", you're the first to validate that impression.

I can't think of a single similarity to Beaujolais.

Maybe you're drinking the wrong beaujolais? My reference was to "good cru Beaujolais". Wines from Brun, Tete, Desvignes, Vissoux et al that can have very intense tannic structure, can be extremely robust in their early life, and benefit from 5-10yrs of aging. I wouldn't compare dolcetto to fruity, sweet supermarket beaujolais, but that isn't really the beaujolais I drink either.

Jenise,

The Einaudi estate makes great Barolo, but is located in the Dogliani area, said to be the birthplace of Dolcetto and the home of many of the best examples. (Dogliani producers don't grow Nebbiolo, for the most part, so their efforts are focussed on Dolcetto.) The consultant at Einaudi is Beppe Caviola, who is an excellent producer of Dolcetto in his own right.

So I would say you're onto a good thing at Einaudi, but there are other great examples. The other specialist appellations are Dolcetto di Diano d'Alba and Dolcetto di Ovada, but they're rarer here than Alba and Dogliani. For monster truck, 'got yer Beaujolais right here buddy' examples of old vine Dolcetto, the Boschi di Berri from Marcarini (mentioned above) and the Coste e Fossati from Vajra are both excellent. However huge these wines are the locals never age them, the fruit flavors don't seem to change in a positive way.

Maybe 'the Cornas of Italy?'

I guess the problem I've had to date has been a feeling that few have any great complexity. They're often fine with food, but the food's the star.

I'll not give up, but I'm far from trusting that I'll get an exciting bottle of Dolcetto when I open one...

I guess the problem I've had to date has been a feeling that few have any great complexity. They're often fine with food, but the food's the star.

I'll not give up, but I'm far from trusting that I'll get an exciting bottle of Dolcetto when I open one...

Ian,

I agree completely with your observations; Dolcetto isn't complex, and it is intended to become interesting with food. (This is largely true of Barbera, too, which I also drink a lot of.) These are the reasons I drink it so often, I need wines that go with food much more often than I need wines that are the starring attraction. Drink that bottle of Boschi di Berri, sooner rather than later, and you'll know for a fact whether you and Dolcetto are made for each other. Give it some air, though.

This is an interesting topic in its own right, 'should wine be the star or not?'