|
Dolcetto
We've been devoting some attention to Beaujolais lately. Today let's shift our sights to Dolcetto, a Northwestern Italian red wine that's sometimes likened to Beaujolais ... without much basis in fact.
In fact, that moniker apparently relates to the taste of the ripe, black Dolcetto grapes at harvest, but not to the wine it makes, which isn't particularly light and certainly isn't sweet. You'll most often find the name of the grape Dolcetto linked on the label with the name of one of the Piemontese villages where it's grown: Dolcetto d'Alba, Dolcetto d'Asti, Dolcetto d'Acqui or Dolcetto Dogliani. Like its neighbor Barbera, Dolcetto is usually a wine of good value, an affordable alternative that can be drunk with enjoyment while it's young, while waiting for the region's more pricey and ageworthy Nebbiolo-based Barolo and Barbaresco to mature. (Vine growers like it, too, because its early ripening nature makes it a natural for vineyards in cooler microclimates where Nebbiolo won't thrive.) While Barbera is usually sharply acidic, Dolcetto is relatively lower in acid but perceptibly tannic, an earthy flavor profile that shows best in company with food. And in its one aspect that does bear some comparison with Beaujolais, Dolcetto - in spite of its tannins - is best drunk up within a few years of harvest, before the fruit fades and leaves the astringent tannins alone. In contrast with the Beaujolais that I've been promoting as a decent alternative for the Thanksgiving banquet table, I don't think I'd recommend Dolcetto with turkey: Its dark, plummy flavors and drying tannins would do no favors for light or dark meat. With roast beef on the table, however, it might just work. Here's an abbreviated look at two recently sampled Dolcettos, both recent arrivals from the fine 2005 vintage and both respectable values in the mid-teens.
This is a dark purple wine with a clear garnet edge. Blueberry and just a hint of earthy "barnyard" to add a pleasant earthiness in the aroma. Plums and berries on the palate, nicely balanced with crisp acidity and smooth tannins. Well matched with chicken and artichokes in a Pecorino Romano velouté over penne. U.S. importer: Michael Skurnik Wines, Syosset, N.Y. (Nov. 22, 2006) Website: http://www.cavallotto.com
Find it on Wine-Searcher.com:
This dark garnet wine shows a very slight haze, perhaps unfiltered. Black plum and blueberry aromas with a hint of violets and more than a hint of pleasant "damp-earth" minerality. Black fruit flavors are clean and long, with the odd but intriguing structure that's typical of Dolcetto: Relatively light acid is counterbalanced by firm, scratchy tannins that provide ample structure. Fine with the bold flavors of Southwestern-accented beef and red-bean burgers laced with chipotles en adobo and pasilla molido chile. U.S. importer: Vanguard wines LLC, Columbus, Ohio. (Nov. 21, 2006)
Find it on Wine-Searcher.com:
TALK ABOUT WINE ONLINE:
Today's article is cross-posted in our Netscape WineLovers Community, where we also welcome comments and questions. To contact me by E-mail, write wine@wineloverspage.com. I'll respond personally to the extent that time and volume permit.
PRINT OUT TODAY'S ARTICLE Administrivia To subscribe or unsubscribe from The 30 Second Wine Advisor, change your E-mail address, or for any other administrative matters, please use the individualized hotlink found at the end of your E-mail edition. If this is not practical, contact me by E-mail at wine@wineloverspage.com, including the exact E-mail address that you used when you subscribed, so I can find your record. We do not use our E-mail list for any other purpose and will never give or sell your name or E-mail address to anyone. I welcome feedback, suggestions, and ideas for future columns. To contact me, please send E-mail to wine@wineloverspage.com All the wine-tasting reports posted here are consumer-oriented. In order to maintain objectivity and avoid conflicts of interest, I purchase all the wines I rate at my own expense in retail stores and accept no samples, gifts or other gratuities from the wine industry.
Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2006
|
Cavallotto 2005 Dolcetto d'Alba "Bricco Boschis" Vigna Scot ($13.99)
Gianfranco Alessandria 2005 Dolcetto d'Alba ($14)
