Our tasting impressions
We love a good Dolcetto. There's no better wine for pizza! This is the first time we've offered this wine from Viberti because, once again, we think it's the finest rendition he's produced. It's a joyous wine that's lusciously fruity and absolutely delicous.
About this wine
100% Dolcetto from a .6 ha plot planted 35 years ago. Osvaldo uses Guyot vine training.
The grapes are harvested at the beginning of September and after pressing undergo fermentation for 6 days at a temperature of 28 degrees. Malolactic fermentation is done and the wine is placed in steel tanks, where it rests for 6 months. Bottling place is in June. About 4,000 bottles are produced.
About the grape
Dolcetto, which means “little sweet one,” is a thick-skinned, early-ripening grape, which offers numerous growing challenges. It is most closely associated with the Piedmont region, where despite being viewed as a younger brother to Nebbiolo and Barbera, is most often the wine of choice at meals among the Piedmontese. It has a synergistic relationship with these other varieties because when planted higher on the cooler slopes, where the others struggle, Dolcetto is able to maintain acidity and avoid ripening too quickly.
Dolcetto, despite its name, is always made into dry wine. Further paradoxically, a grape that is low in acid and high in tannins produces (when expertly made) soft, bright and fruity wines that are easy to drink and best in their youth.
About the vintage
2022 began with a cold and dry winter. The vines got much needed water from the run off of mountain snow melt during the mild spring. But late spring and summer were scaldingly hot and still dry. The resulting crop reduction meant richly, concentrated grapes. Overall, 2022 was on par with 2003 for historic heat but because of improved farming practices, conscientious producers had much fresher fruit.
Osvaldo Viberti located in La Morra produces Barolo, Barbera, Dolcetto, Langhe Nebbiolo and a little known but wonderful white called Langhe Nascetta. The 10-hectare Azienda produces about 40,000 bottles per year with the help of his friend, and renowned oenologist, Sergio Molino.
Osvaldo remembers fondly helping his grandfather farm grapes to sell from their vineyards. His father began making wine but not bottling. In 1993, Osvaldo took control and began bottling and marketing his wine. Today, he is joined in this endeavor by his children Paolo and Anna.
Viberti farms naturally and organically without certification. He has not used pesticides in 3 years. All the bunches are destemmed and almost all of the fermentation is naturally occurring. He does manual pump-overs and pushes down the caps.
There is something uncommonly nice about Osvaldo. He is humble, sincere and genuinely kind and you can taste these attributes in his excellent wines.
