Winemaker Notes
The 2018 Wilde Farm Dolcetto comes exclusively from The Fox Hill vineyard, located just south of the town of Ukiah on the Talmage Bench. The soils are well-drained, with high concentrations of gravel and sandstone. Fig, apple and plum trees dot the grounds, as well as an acre of olive trees. The Dolcetto we source comes from the cooler, tree-shaded, north-west facing slopes. This wine goes through complete carbonic fermentation with native yeasts and is raised naturally for only 6 months in neutral french barrique with no sulfur added.
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.
A large and diverse appellation within California’s North Coast AVA, Mendocino is home to several smaller sub-regions—most notably the Anderson Valley. This scenic region, with rolling hills covered in redwood forests as well as vineyards, is one of the world’s top producers of certified organically-grown grapes. Due to wide geographical and climatic variation, a vast array of wine styles can be found here.