Cavalier Bartolomeo Dolcetto d'Alba Solanotto Altinasso Vigneti 2008
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Cavalier Bartolomeo was founded in 1924 by Bartolomeo Borgogno, grandfather of the current owner, who learned to make wine from the grapes of his vineyards by his father. After five generations, in part, the vineyards were renewed while the Nebbiolo da Barolo ones remained intact and immaculate. Over time, the working methods have been updated both in the vineyard and in the cellar, paying careful attention to pruning, thinning, harvesting and with controlled fermentations. Today the company produces a total of 15,000 bottles a year. The company is located in the heart of the Barolo area, under the municipality of Castiglione Falletto, in the small hamlet of Garbelletto, which can be reached by taking the highway which from Alba heads towards Barolo, 300 meters before the Barolo - La Morra crossroads.
An easy drinking red with soft fruity flavors—but catchy tannins, Dolcetto is often enjoyed in its native Piedmont on a casual weekday night, or for apertivo (the canonical Piedmontese pre-dinner appetizer hour). Somm 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 makes a more serious style of Dolcetto, many of which can improve with cellar time.
An historic village situated right in between the famous regions of Barolo and Barbaresco, Alba is also the name for the larger wine region surrounding the village.
In a sense, “Alba” is a catch-all phrase, and includes the declassified Nebbiolo wines made in Barolo and Barbaresco, as well as the Nebbiolo grown just outside of these regions’ borders. In fact, Nebbiolo d’Alba is a softer, less tannic and more fruit-forward wine ready to drink within just a couple years of bottling. It is a great place to start if you want to begin to understand the grape. Likewise, the even broader category of Langhe Nebbiolo offers approachable and value-driven options as well.
Barbera, planted alongside Nebbiolo in the surrounding hills, and referred to as Barbera d’Alba, takes on a more powerful and concentrated personality compared to its counterparts in Asti.
Dolcetto is ubiquitous here and, known as Dolcetto d'Alba, can be found casually served alongside antipasti on the tables of Alba’s cafes and wine bars.
Not surprisingly, given its location, Alba is recognized as one of Italy’s premiere culinary destinations and is the home of the fall truffle fair, which attracts visitors from worldwide every year.