Dolcetto d’Alba DOC 2024

Roagna | Piedmont
Az. Agr. I Paglieri | Loc. Paglieri 9 | IT 12050 Barbaresco

As you know, at Roagna there are no afterthoughts. When Luca Roagna, the fifth generation of this legendary Barbaresco dynasty, makes Dolcetto, it is not as a stopgap between the great Nebbiolos, but as a testament to its substance. The grapes come from 45-year-old vines in the prestigious Pajé and Asili vineyards, where the iconic Barbaresco wines are usually produced. Pajé, with its chalk-rich marl soils and high proportion of active chalk, Asili, with its east-facing clay-limestone soils and distinctive sandy content – these are no ordinary Dolcetto terroirs. The winemaking process follows the Roagna philosophy: ten days' fermentation in large wooden vats with indigenous yeasts, followed by 90 to 100 days' contact with the skins – a maceration period that even many Barolos do not undergo. After approximately ten months' ageing in wooden and concrete vats, the wine is bottled unfiltered.

The result is not a light-footed antipasti wine, but a structured, serious Dolcetto with dark fruit, firm tannins and that mineral depth that can only come from great vineyards. Cherry and plum, underpinned by spicy notes, supported by a texture reminiscent of Nebbiolo. This is Dolcetto as only Roagna can make it – with the precision and dedication that elsewhere is reserved only for the great wines. SUPERIORE.DE

"A classic dolcetto that's vinous, floral and crunchy. Light-bodied, refreshing and ripe, with soft, integrated tannins." James Suckling