2016 Dolcetto Alegría Vineyards

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93 points - Purely Domestic Wine Report
90 points - Jeb Dunnuck
90 points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

Tasting Notes

Savory aromas of dusty cherry and creamy mocha. Bright cherry and ripe huckleberry flavors meld with toasty oak and a hint of cola. Integrated oak frames the Italianate flavors as the crisp acidity encourages pairing with food to further enhance the tasting experience.

Winemaker's Notes

When we planted Dolcetto in 1991, only three California wineries produced a Dolcetto wine. Ours is inter-planted with Freisa and Barbera, in three different areas of our vineyards, on three distinct soil types. These Piemontese varieties thrive in our Russian River Valley climate, producing a vibrant, ageable wine, evoking the best of Italian Dogliani.
To complement Dolcetto’s earthy black cherry character, we add Freisa (strawberry notes) and Barbera (acid structure). The mix of varieties and clones, plus the variation in soils and sun exposure, add to the wine’s balanced texture and complexity. The vines set a heavy crop in 2016, so we laboriously trimmed shoulders, reducing cluster size, to assure even ripening, and guard against bunch rot. A three-day cold soak in open top fermenters allowed enzymes to extract color and flavors, before a combination of indigenous and Rhone yeasts completed fermentation enhancing the wine’s character. Barrel aging for 18 months sur lies, in a combination of French, Hungarian, and American oak barrels, with monthly stirring of the lees (bâtonnage), softened the grapes’ dusty tannins, while retaining their essential varietal character.

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