Pre-Piedmont Dinner

The group travelling up to Piedmont in June met for the first time for quick get-together, and what better way to get started than with a trio of interesting Dolcetto wines.

• 2010 Chionetti Dogliani Briccolero - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Dogliani
  Nice stuff. This was my first experience with Dolcetto di Dogliani, and I can see why many hold the Dolcetti that come out of this sub-region in higher regard than their more famous cousins in Alba or Asti. The nose was very primary, but pleasant, with sweet cherry syrup and dark berry aromas on a bed of loamy earth, smoke and a little floral backnote. I thought the palate would be rather sweet or over-ripe after that nose. Instead, it had a lovely clarity and balance to it, with clean acidity tracing its way through high-toned flavours of black cherries and berries seasoned with minerally earth, warm spice and a bittersweet puff of smoke that drifted around the dark fruit in a long finish. Still very young of course, this actually feels as though it needs some time to integrate and flesh out, but I liked what was in the glass - it has the balance and grace to age nicely, and should be a really nice wine in the not-too-distant future. Try again in 3-4 years. (91 pts.)
• 2006 Chionetti Dogliani San Luigi - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Dogliani
  Rather more backward and less immediately pleasing than the 2010 Briccolero that preceded it, but this was still a nicely impressive Dolcetto. The nose was symptomatic of the wine. It started out really tight, and took some time to open up into restrained notes of earth, dark fruit and little floral accents. The palate was still very much marked by a structure of fine, slightly raspy tannins and juicy acidity running through its black fruited flavours. There was a nice chewiness about the wine, especially on the midpalate and into a minerally with a touch of btitersweet bramble. A bit stubborn on the night, but there was a nice sense of substance and structure here - this is a wine with good bones for aging. I would leave it aside for some 8-10 years though. It should be quite nice by then. (90 pts.)
• 2010 Forti del Vento Monferrato Ventipassi - Italy, Piedmont, Monferrato
  This says 100% Nibiö on the labelling - a rather ancient strain of Dolcetto grown around the Gavi region (although some argue that Nibiö is properly considered a close relation rather than Dolcetto proper). This was a decent enough wine. Not quite as well put-together and enjoyable as the pair of Dolcetto di Dogliani, but not bad in its own right. This was obviously constructed on a more generous scale than its sparer, more elegantly balanced cousins, with a nose of big black fruit - sweet prunes and plums here - along with rose petal scents on a deeper bed of earth, meat, herb and spice. The palate came across just a tad awkward in its infancy, with bright acidity and raspy tannins not quite fully integrated with the wine's sweet flavours of haw flakes and sour plums. A bit too big and ripe for my tastes when first popped and poured, but it toned down with a bit of air, allowing the fresh balance to come through alongside little notes of herbs and smoky tar that have the finish a single malt whisku-like peatiness. Okay, but it does need a few years to tone down and integrate. (88 pts.)