Dolcetto d'Alba Fratelli Alessandria 2021

Dolcetto d'Alba from the winery of Fratelli Alessandria, a major producer in Verduno, is a pleasantly straightforward, easy and simple version of this historic Piedmontese grape variety, which has all but disappeared in Langhe in favor of the more in-demand Nebbiolo. The Fratelli Alessandria estate, on the other hand, in addition to making room for the rare local grape variety Pelaverga, has preserved the best Dolcetto vineyards to keep alive the tradition regarding good, medium-bodied, fragrant and fruity everyday red wines that offer a wide range of food pairings.

Fratelli Alessandria's Dolcetto d'Alba red wine is part of the production's philosophy of this historic Verduno winery, which alongside some prestigious versions of Barolo, offers pure labels of the territory's main grape varieties. The Dolcetto grapes come from the winery's vineyards: Boscatto, Cristiani, Sotto Orti, Semolini, cultivated in the communal area of Verduno at an altitude between 250 and 370 meters above sea level, with exposure mainly facing west. The vines have an average age of 35 years-old and are planted on medium-textured soils of calcareous nature with the presence of silt. Harvesting is done manually during the second half of September and fermentation takes place in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks, using indigenous yeasts and one-week maceration on the skins. The wine is aged for a period of about 6 months in cement or steel tanks before bottling.

Fratelli Alessandria's Dolcetto d'Alba wine is made with a gentle and rather short extraction, so as not to weigh the wine down and leave the fruity aromas in the foreground. The wine is bright ruby in color to the eye, with light violet reflections. The nose is characterized by a bouquet that mainly favors fragrant fruity notes of ripe cherry, red currant, nuances of iris, violet and delicate spicy hints. The palate is medium-structured, with a dense but subtle tannic texture and pleasantly rich and juicy fruit. The finish is balanced and of good persistence, with a pleasantly almondy finish.