Winemaker Notes
The Dolcetto d’Alba DOC Coste & Fossati is characterized by a fascinating vibrant purple color, deep and brilliant. A symphony of red and black fruits, sour cherry, with a long lovely finish of licorice and menthol. The 2018 vintage is lively, with complex and silky tannins and an amazing texture.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The G.D. Vajra 2018 Dolcetto d'Alba Coste & Fossati is a plump, succulent and rich expression that offers a clear view into the fundamentals of the Dolcetto grape. Fruit comes from two vineyard sites, Coste di Vergne and Fossati (in the comune di Barolo), with characteristic Sant'Agata marl soils rich in fossils. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel, and traditional winemaking protocol called for submerged cap. That method was used until 1989, then abandoned, but it came back with this 2018 vintage. Submerged cap is a process that works to stabilize the deep color you see here, and it draws out the intensity of the blackberry, black currant and dark fruit aromas. Rating: 91+
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Wine Spectator
A pure, black cherry– and blackberry-flavored red, this is rich and balanced, with juicy acidity and refined tannins meshing with the texture and ripe fruit. Drink now through 2023.
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.