About this wine
Vineyard and terroir
The fruit comes from two estate parcels. The Castiglione Falletto holding comprises 0.60 ha on cadastral sheet 7, parcels 57–58, at 300 m with southern exposure. The second 0.60 ha parcel is at Le Rù in La Morra, cadastral sheet 21, parcel 499, at 280 m with southwestern exposure. Both are planted at 4,700 vines/ha with 2.70 × 0.80 m spacing and trained to Guyot on a vertical trellis. The vines are 30 years old at Castiglione Falletto and 40–50 years old at Le Rù; both sites yield 80 q/ha.
Grapes
100% Dolcetto.
Vinification
Harvest takes place during the second ten days of September, with selection carried out in the vineyard. Fermentation and maceration proceed together for approximately 12 days in stainless-steel vessels. Malolactic fermentation follows in November.
Ageing
The wine matures in stainless steel and is bottled the following spring. Release begins in early summer.
Technical data
Annual production is approximately 10,000 bottles.
Tasting profile
Intense ruby red with violet highlights. The aroma is vinous and can show fruit, while the palate is dry, full-bodied and finishes with a pleasantly bitter accent.
Label / history
Despite the association of its name with the Italian word for sweetness, this is not a dessert wine. In the Langhe, the name referred to the grape, traditionally eaten at the table in autumn with seasonal pears and boiled chestnuts from the nearby Alpine valleys. In an August 1979 letter, journalist Gianni Brera praised Oddero’s Dolcetto as solid and serious without austerity and reflected humorously on the affectionate diminutive embodied in its name.
