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5218 Lawton Avenue
Oakland, CA 94114

510-654-9159

Oliver McCrum Wines has been importing small production Italian wine and distributing to fine retail and restaurant establishes throughout California since 1994. Over time, our portfolio of producers has steadily grown to over 45 producers from 15 different regions of Italy. We look for typical Italian wines with clarity and freshness, usually made from indigenous Italian grape varieties using clean, transparent winemaking techniques and no obvious use of oak. 

Dolcetto

Dolcetto

Dolcetto is a much-misunderstood grape variety grown almost exclusively in Piedmont. It may be indigenous to Piedmont (and is claimed as originating in the village of Dogliani), but the ampelographer Galet suggests that it is the same as Douce Noire from Savoie, which may be the same as Charbono. It has been planted in Piedmont since the 1500s, possibly since the 1300s.

Although the name of the grape (which means ‘Little Sweet One’) suggests sweetness or at least roundness and drinkability, most Dolcetto (and almost all good Dolcetto) is in fact rich in tannins, if only moderately acidic. Although this is the grapiest, earliest bottled of the three classic Piedmontese varieties it is certainly not ‘the Beaujolais of Italy;’ the 11% abv, high-yield, everyday style that inspired this phrase is only sold locally and bears little resemblance to better wines. It is usually bottled
before the following harvest, in some cases as early as March, providing a useful boost to the cash-flow of producers whose other wine is nebbiolo. It prefers sites that are not directly south-facing, whereas nebbiolo demands excellent exposure, so the two vines are complementary in terms of site; and it matures well before nebbiolo, which means the Dolcetto vinification is
complete before the nebbiolo is picked. It is rarely blended.

There are seven Dolcetto DOCs; Alba (usually produced by a Barolo or Barbaresco estate), Asti (rare), Diano d'Alba, Dogliani, Langhe Monregalesi (rare but potentially very good) and Ovada. These last four are specialised appellations known for Dolcetto.

Dolcetto sometimes bears a similarity to nebbiolo, in that it shows touches of tar and flowers, and not a little tannin. The color is dramatically different, however; the better dolcettos are an enticing deep purple, with a violet rim. The predominant fruit is blueberry. Styles: the formerly poor reputation of dolcetto was the result of overcropping and casual vinification (Dolcetto has a tendency towards reductive stink if not handled carefully, and needs to be racked frequently). Modern Alba producers are making some excellent Dolcetto, but the best wines generally come from around the village of Dogliani, just south of the Barolo zone.

As the yields have been reduced the concentration of the wines has increased, but the tannins have tended to increase as well, particularly in Dogliani. Developments in vinication to address this imbalance include picking on phenolic ripeness (rather than sugar), micro-oxygenation (widely used since the 2000 harvest), and maturation in wood. (Most Dolcetto is still made entirely in stainless steel.)

The best Dogliani producers are developing a Superiore style, bottled after perhaps eighteen months of maturation in 225 to 600 liter barrels. This style shows potential for bottle age, whereas most stainless-steel Dolcettos are drunk before the release of the following vintage. (The Superiore from Il Colombo is the best example I have of this style; the '99 is very successful, although at this writing it's too soon to tell whether it will improve in the bottle.) There is a plan to create a new DOC called simply Dogliani, along the model of Barolo, to avoid the stigma attached to the word Dolcetto and to create a seperate identity for the village.

Dolcetto has a promising future, and it is possible that the judicious use of oak will give the variety a boost in the same way it did for Barbera, adding a new, ageable tier of quality. At the moment the ‘normale’ Dolcetto is outstanding value.