2015 Dolcetto Alegría Vineyards

92 points - Purely Domestic Wine Report

Tasting Notes

Intriguing aromas of violets, rose petal, and wet stone meld with notes of ripe dark berry, spicy plum, and creamy oak. The palate reveals a depth of flavors and acid that makes the wine a welcome dinner companion. Tart cherry, blueberry, plum, and pomegranate mingle with mocha-laced oak, while cinnamon, nutmeg, appear during the long finish.

Winemaker's Notes

We grow three different clones of Dolcetto—together with Freisa and Barbera—in three different areas of our vineyards, on three distinct soils types. These varieties, native to the Piedmont area of Italy, thrive in our cool Russian River Valley climate and create a lush, vibrant, ageable wine, evoking the best of Italian Dogliani.

Freisa adds strawberry notes while Barbera adds acid structure to Dolcetto’s earthy black cherry character. The mix of three varieties, and variations in soils and sun exposure of the different sites in the vineyard, add to the wine’s balanced texture and complexity.

The 2015 crop was relatively light and came in early, with even ripeness and optimal flavor. A three-day cold soak allowed enzymes to extract color and flavors, before a combination of native and Rhone yeasts completed fermentation and enhanced the wine’s character. Barrel aging for 18 months in a combination of French, Hungarian, and American oak barrels softened the grapes’ dusty tannins.

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