The 2012 Dolcetto d’Alba Dell’Erto is among the nicest expressions of the variety I tasted this year. Simple, but generous and fruit-forward, the wine delivers a quick succession of wild berries and blueberries followed by a subtle veil of crushed white pepper. Dolcetto can often feel chewy and syrupy, but this expression shows a tight and streamlined style. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2015.
It’s been a big year for Giovanni Abrigo and his wife Virna (of the eponymous winery in Barolo). He put the finishing touches on an underground winery that is invisible to the eye thanks to a lush covering of grapevines and rose bushes. As a young man, Giovanni wanted to study engineering, but the call of the vineyard was so strong, he never admitted that to his parents. Like many of his peers, he ended up enrolling in Alba’s school of enology instead. He is the third generation of his family to mind the vineyard and he has increased his holdings to 18 hectares, up from three in his grandfather’s time. He owns three hectares in the Montersino cru and four in Meruzzano. That old thirst for engineering, he says, was more than quenched with all the intense trouble-shooting (and a good amount of head scratching) associated with his recent winery construction.
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