WTN: 2006 Giuseppe Mascarello Dolcetto d’Alba Bricco

2006 Giuseppe Mascarello Dolcetto d’Alba Bricco (Castiglione Falletto) 14.0%
From half clay, half chalk soils. Last November we tasted an 07 Bricco at the winery that had been open a week and was still going strong. This 06, freshly opened at a local restaurant and showing an extra half point of alcohol (these normally run 13.0-13.5%), had a throttling nose of raspberry jam infused with eucalyptus and guava. No dulcet tones here, and as jammy as a guava-spiked Carmenère tasted a few months ago. The color, too, showed that purplosity that Otto posits, if I understand him correctly, as the hallmark of the overripe and/or doctored, heightening the sense of categorical disconnect. How can this be an offering from the venerable and traditional house of Guiseppe Mascarello? There was tannic grip and sufficient acidity, but the nuovo mondo jamminess just kept pushing the wrong bottoni. Is 2006 is turning into a Piemontese bizarro world, with all this no cru from me Argentina from Giacosa and Produttori?

Great note Oswaldo.

Dolcetto seems a difficult grape for ambitious winemakers. An easy to like good table wine when made with competence, but whereas Barbera can be built up into a muscley Barbarian, yet still carry it off, Dolcetto given the same treatment seems to lose it's charm and risk becoming the epitomy of fruit bomb.

regards

Ian

I'm not a big Dolcetto drinker (though I had one last night and enjoyed) but generally regard it as a fruit forward low acid (and sometimes a bit tannic) grape. At its best a big sloppy kiss kind of wine, but never one I'd expect to be lean, precise, or minerally. Though as I said I don't drink much Dolcetto, so maybe just haven't tried the "right" ones.

Good point, Ian, I have really enjoyed Dolcettos made by "serious" winemakers, but usually when the intention was not to make a "serious" wine. Dale, I think they can on occasion be lean, precise and minerally, but for that the ripeness has to be kept down.