Last Friday, I featured two Barberas from the Piemonte region of Italy. This week I’d like to continue on a similar theme by discussing two wines, also originating in Piemonte, but this time produced by two winemakers on California’s Central Coast. The grape we’re talking about is Dolcetto, and the region, Santa Barbara.
Like Barbera, Dolcetto is one of the beloved, easy drinking table wines of Piemonte. While the massive Nebbiolo wines of the region age into palatability, Dolcetto and Barbera are the wines served at the nightly meal. Dolcetto is the lightest of the two, and its easy drinking, soft and friendly structure is what earned it its name, which translates to “little sweet one.” These wines in all actuality are almost never sweet, and instead often bare a slight stylistic resemblance to something between a full bodied Pinot Noir, and a softer structured Merlot. Although designed to be loveable and food friendly, in the right hands, these wines can be subtle and complex, bringing exceptional value for the price.
One of the major places that Dolcetto is beginning to occasionally spring up outside of the Old Country is the Central Coast in California. The trend of exploring Italian varietals in the region has lead to a variety of unique grapes being planted there that are rarely seen outside of their country of origin. Today’s wines are ideal examples, so let’s explore.
Wine #1: Mandolina 2007 Santa Barbara County Dolcetto
Our first wine comes from Lucas & Lewellen’s Mandolina line. This second label was created to feature the winery’s Italian varietal based wines, and presently includes 13 different offerings. Grown from Italian vine cuttings planted in the Los Alamos Valley, Mandolina produces some Old World rarities with New World style, creating a finished product unlike almost any other in the region.
When the 2007 vintage of this wine was released, there were 91 acres of Dolcetto planted in the entire state of California. 3.1 of those acres were planted on Mandolina’s Los Alamos vineyard. This wine spent one year in French oak prior to bottling.
Sweet strawberry and cherry candy notes introduce the aroma, with toasted marshmallow and a faint rose petal tone surrounding the core. A spin in the glass opens up some intense spice notes, tobacco, something almost like peppered salami, cigar, and herbal tones.
The palate is smooth and soft with a gentle, dusty quality. The same strawberry and cherry notes from the aroma show through, with a touch of pipe tobacco and some fresh herbal tones. There is a certain touch of green running through this wine, almost like forest moss or freshly fallen leaves, but it comes through only very slightly in the background. Everything about this wine is incredibly subtle, and all of the flavors seem to show through a veil of silk. It’s incredibly soft, and delicate with a fresh, berry-like acidity around the edges, almost somewhat Pinot-like. This is a well done wine, and for the price, absolutely…
Worth Trying. 89 points.
Wine #2: Mosby 2006 Santa Barbara County Dolcetto
Our second wine comes from one of my absolute favorite New World-Italian wineries. Mosby specializes in varietals virtually unknown outside of Italy, and even in grapes that are uncommon in their own home regions. Their commitment to quality is just as impressive as the extent of their line, as is apparent in this limited production, estate bottled vintage.
The aroma opens with sweet notes of fresh rosemary, strawberry rhubarb pie filling, and some vanilla bean notes. There is a faint lavender component at the core, with some raspberry liqueur, and something that makes me think of shrub brush and brambles growing out of sheer granite. There is a plushness to this wine, but there is also a definite edgy quality that makes me expect a lot from it on the palate.
The wine enters with dried cherries spritzed with some orange and berry juice flavors. This fades away quickly into a much earthier mid palate, full of desert dust, herbs de Provence, and a slightly charred quality. There is a kiss of oak, some peppercorn, and a nice balance between berries and herbs on the finish. This is an interesting wine, definitely with a pastoral sense of terroir. It’s earthy and fruity at the same time, accessible but interesting. This is a solid effort at the price, and…
Worth Trying. 87 points.
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