
Dolcetto
An easy-drinker with modest acidity and soft fruity flavors...
An easy-drinker with modest acidity, soft fruity flavors—but catchy tannins, Dolcetto is often enjoyed in its native Piedmont while more serious Barolos and Barbarescos take their time to age. Here, this is the wine you are most likely to find at the table on a casual Tuesday night, accompanying local charcuterie or "apertivo" hour (the canonical Piemontese way to tease your palate before dinner). In recent years Dolcetto has found some footing in California, but plantings are fairly limited outside of Italy.
In the Glass
Dolcetto translates to “little sweet one,” and though the wines produced are typically not sweet in terms of residual sugar, they do possess delightfully fruity flavors of red cherry and blueberry, with an almond-like bitterness at the end and occasional hints of chocolate and baking spice.
Perfect Pairings
Dolcetto is a lively, exuberant variety without a ton of complexity in most cases, and as such is best paired with simple, flavorsome foods such as pasta, pizza and simple meats—anything an Italian farmer might consume after a long day in the field.
Sommelier Secret
In most of Piedmont, easy-ripening Dolcetto is relegated to the secondary sites—the best of which are reserved for the king variety: Nebbiolo. However, in the Dogliani zone it is the star of the show, and here it makes a bigger, riper and a more serious style of Dolcetto, many of which can improve with cellar time.
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Destefanis Dolcetto d'Alba Vigna Monia Bassa 2007Dolcetto from Alba, Piedmont, Italy
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Cantina del Pino Dolcetto d'Alba 2007Dolcetto from Alba, Piedmont, Italy
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Marchesi di Barolo Dolcetto d'Alba 2007Dolcetto from Alba, Piedmont, Italy
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Sandrone Dolcetto 2007Dolcetto from Piedmont, Italy
- RP
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Sottimano Dolcetto d'Alba Bric del Salto 2007Dolcetto from Alba, Piedmont, Italy
- RP
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Ettore Germano Pra di Po Dolcetto d'Alba 2007Dolcetto from Alba, Piedmont, Italy
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Giovanni Rosso Dolcetto d'Alba Le 4 Vigne 2007Dolcetto from Alba, Piedmont, Italy
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Rocche Costamagna Murrae Dolcetto d'Alba 2007Dolcetto from Alba, Piedmont, Italy
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Silvio Grasso Dolcetto d'Alba 2007Dolcetto from Alba, Piedmont, Italy
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Marchesi di Gresy Dolcetto d'Alba Aribaldo 2007Dolcetto from Alba, Piedmont, Italy
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Pavi Wines Dolcetto 2007Dolcetto from Napa Valley, California
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Fratelli Revello Dolcetto d'Alba 2007Dolcetto from Alba, Piedmont, Italy
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Manzone Le Ciliegie Dolcetto d'Alba 2007Dolcetto from Alba, Piedmont, Italy
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Duca Di Salaparuta Dolcetto di Dogliani 2007Dolcetto from Dogliani, Piedmont, Italy
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Boroli Dolcetto d'Alba Madonna di Como 2007Dolcetto from Alba, Piedmont, Italy
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Azienda Agricola La Querciola s.s. Carpeneta 2007Dolcetto from Dogliani, Piedmont, Italy
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Fontanabianca Bordini Dolcetto d'Alba 2007Dolcetto from Alba, Piedmont, Italy
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Anna Maria Abbona Langhe Dolcetto 2007Dolcetto from Piedmont, Italy
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Cavallotto Vigna Melera Dolcetto 2007Dolcetto from Alba, Piedmont, Italy
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Azelia Bricco dell'Oriolo Dolcetto d'Alba 2007Dolcetto from Alba, Piedmont, Italy
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Batasiolo Dolcetto d'Alba 2007Dolcetto from Alba, Piedmont, Italy
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Chionetti Quinto e Figlio Dolcetto di Dogliani Briccolero 2007Dolcetto from Dogliani, Piedmont, Italy
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Madonna Estate Dolcetto 2007Dolcetto from Carneros, California
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Borgogno Dolcetto d'Alba 2007Dolcetto from Alba, Piedmont, Italy
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La Chiripada Winery Artist Series 1 Dolcetto 2007Dolcetto from New Mexico, Other U.S.