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Wine is as good as life to a man, if it be drunk moderately: what life is then to a man that is without wine? for it was made to make men glad.
—Ecclesiasticus, ch. 38, v. 1
(Our sample bottle was purchased by us at standard retail.)
Dolcetto is sometimes call a "waiting" wine, because it is what the Piedmontese locals drink while they wait for the Nebbiolo. It thus tends to often be made rather casually, as a quick drink-it-up wine. But some makers, including Luigi Einaudi, take it more seriously, and try to get at the grape's better qualities. (Einaudi also makes a much more upscale version, their "Vigna Tecc" Dogliani Superiore, which goes for $22 to $33).
Dolcetto di Dogliani, of the three major regional variants (also including d'Alba & di Diano d'Alba, though there are eight Dolcetto regions all told), is commonly held to make the biggest and longest-lived Dolcetto wines (the wine is not normally thought of as age-worthy).
This Poderi Luigi Einaudi Dolcetto di Dogliani was, per the makers's web site "Fermented in steel tanks under strict temperature control (28°C), racked after 4/5 days, decanted, gotten malolactic treatment and completed at a controlled temperature. Decanted a number of times during maturation in steel tanks, bottled in high spring and made ready for drinking at the beginning of summer." In short, the wine sees no wood.
Poderi Luigi Einaudi Dolcetto di Dogliani runs from about $13 up to $27 at retail, the average price (per Wine Searcher Pro) being about $17.
This Luigi Einaudi Dolcetto di Dogliani was clearly the best Dolcetto we have yet found (though our Dolcetto exploration is not quite vast). While Dolcetto does not seem to have a varietal uniqueness that shrieks out at one, the wine as a whole was quite good.
It possessed a somewhat rich-feeling roundness, with plenty of dark-red fruit and a nice acid balance. Drinking it in the fourth year after vintage, we still found noticeable (and pleasing) tannins, so the shibboleth of "doesn't age" seems shot down, at least in this example: this sturdy fellow could well have benefitted from at least another year or two in the bottle.
To be honest, while this was a solid, pleasing wine, and one we can and will repeat, it does not inspire one to at once send telegrams to all one's friends. It lacks significant defects, and indeed has points of attraction, but it doesn't make one sit up and exclaim. A good, virtuous Italian red, respectable and satisfactory. Recommended.
On CellarTracker.
On Wine Searcher's Tasting Notes page.
Of some major wine-review sites:
(2011 vintage), 90 points:
The 2011 Dogliani (Dolcetto) is a gorgeous wine. Bacon fat, game, tar and licorice give the 2011 an exotic, wild air that is highly appealing. At times the 2011 resembles Aglianico in its sheer complexity. Layers of fruit continue to build to the deep, resonant finish. This is a gorgeous wine for the money.
(2010 vintage), 88 points:
The 2010 Dolcetto di Dogliani is loaded with varietal character in its sweet red berries, smoke, licorice, ash and tar. It shows plenty of elegance and fine overall balance. A long, silky finish adds to an overall impression of harmony. The 2010 Dolcetto is a lovely bottle at this level.
(2009 vintage), 89 points:
The 2009 Dolcetto di Dogliani offers up dark red fruit, bacon fat, smoke and licorice in a surprisingly rich style for an entry-level bottling. This shows wonderful density and tons of Dogliani character.
(2008 vintage), 89 points
(2011 vintage), 88 points
Dark and rich, boasting notes of black cherry, plum and chocolate. Smooth and balanced, with fine length on the finish.
(2010 vintage), 87 points
Fresh and floral in aroma, exuding flavors of blackberry and bitter chocolate. Tight on the finish, with moderate length.
(2009 vintage), 90 points:
Supple and harmonious, offering aromas and flavors of ripe black cherry, raspberry, dark chocolate and iron aromas and flavors. The vibrant structure keeps this defined and persistent as the finish lingers.
(2007 vintage), 88 points
(2004 vintage), 86 points
(2002 vintage), 81 points
(2010 vintage), 89 points:
Bright fresh red. Crushed sour cherry, licorice, spearmint and thyme on the slightly reduced nose. Intensely flavored and vibrant, with a dominant flavor of bitter cherry. Fresh, varietally accurate dolcetto in a masculine style.
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This page was last modified on Sunday, 19 January 2020, at 5:17 pm Pacific Time.