This wine is produced throughout the entire territory of a single small ‘commune’ (village territory) south of Alba at an altitude of 500 metres above sea level.
Here, the tradition of Dolcetto cultivation goes back centuries and is so rooted in local habit that right back in 1986, the commune was able to produce a finely- detailed map describing all vineyards in the area together with precise indications of their merits and position.
The best of these areas are known locally as ‘sorì’, which stands for something like ‘south- facing land’ in local dialect. Diano d’Alba has 77 of these ‘sorì’ vineyards and, in 2009, the Consortium made an official request to the Ministry of Agriculture for their inclusion in the Additional Geographical Definition, (or ‘cru’), category as occurred for Barbaresco and Barolo. Docg status has also been requested for this Dolcetto.
Dolcetto di Diano d’Alba possesses an intense ruby red colour with violet highlights when young. It has a fragrant and fruity perfume with lots of Morello cherries, and, at times, blackberries and fruit jam. The flavour is dry and spare with a stimulating after-taste of bitter almonds. Some of its sensorial characteristics, such as geraniol, render it particularly pleasing to drink when young, yet it is also capable of medium-term ageing. If aged for at least eighteen months, it acquires the label ‘Superior’. Gino Veronelli, master wine professional, placed it in pride of place on his list of personal favourites.