Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 25 days of maceration that the 2017 Dolcetto d’Alba Bric del Salto undergoes would be considered long by most standards, and as a result, the aromas are very pronounced. The fruit is delicate, and the mineral notes come out very strongly here. It is almost crunchy in terms of mouthfeel. This was a hot year, but you’d never know it with this wine because it has an oddly cool-climate personality. It's very floral and delicate on the nose with notes of blossoming rose. There is a refined or, you might say, even traditional side to this wine that you don’t often see in its peers. Some 14,000 bottles were made. It's one of those subdued, floral and flinty light reds that would pair perfectly with a roast chicken sprinkled with rosemary and squeezed lemon.
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.