Dolcetto d’Alba DOC

Location: Barolo
Soil structure: sand, silt
Composition of soil: sand 33%, silt 44%, clay 23%
Trellising: Vertical canopy
Pruning system: traditional Guyot
Exposure: South-West
Vineyard expansion: 1.4482 ha

Planting with: 0.8 m X 2.7 m.
Altitude: 280 m
Plant density: 4,630 plants per hectare
Production: about 7,000 KG / ha
Varietal: Dolcetto
Rootstock clone: K5BB, 420 A, SO4
Year planted: 1991

Soil characteristics
Dolcetto the name comes from the local dialect “Ducet” (small hill) because normally it was cultivated in the lower part of the hill where the slopes are gentler.
The soil of this vineyard in Barolo is soft and sandy. The wines originate they have always a very elegant perfume, fruit and good complexity. Even in wet years in this vineyard it always manages to have good quality grapes, due to the high percentage of sand and good drainage in the soil.

Production process
For Dolcetto from the town of Barolo the harvest time is between 8-15 of September. When the grapes arrive to the cellar they are destemmed, crushed, and placed in steel tanks to undergo fermentation not exceeding 26 °C / 78 °F. After about 7 days the wine will then be separated from the skins, transferred to another tank and maintained at about 18 °C / 64 °F to help start the malolactic fermentation. After the second fermentation is finished it will remain stored in cement until bottling (April) then on the market in September.

Serving recommendations
The pallet shows a slight bitter aftertaste (bitter almond), typical of Dolcetto from these areas. The color is a very lively purple. Dolcetto is the wine for the “everyday table” that has best been able to take root in the heart of Piedmont. It has a great flexibility with the complex cuisine of our region, from appetizer to desserts. It can keep well for several years although we recommend it be drunk at a younger age.