Nick obsesses over the weather as he opens a bottle of Piedmont’s finest Dolcetto, produced by Donadei-Fabiani
A friend’s dad once told me that if at any point in conversation you heard him talking about the weather, you knew he was bored. It always sticks in my mind whenever I talk about the weather in this column: am I being boring? Part of me thinks, yes, yes you are. But another part of me thinks, well, the weather is so integral to our mood and also to wine – not only in terms of which you choose to drink, but also in its cultivation – that surely it has to come up at some point, right?
Anyway, after the last column’s spirit of ‘trying something new’ (whilst living to tell the tale) I figured that I would carry on riding this wave and see where it takes me. In this case, it’s to Italy, to try a new grape, Dolcetto, with 2012 Dogliani Dolcetto, Donadei-Fabiani, Clavesana from Piedmont in Italy.
Piedmont is synonymous with premium Italian wines: since the Roman times it’s been turning out fine wines beloved the world over. Located in the northwest of the country with its continental climate, the village of Clavesana is widely lauded for producing the purest of expression of Dolcetto wines, thanks in no small part to it’s proximity to the Tanaro river and the Maritime Alps.
The Donadei and Fabiani families have been making wine at Clavesana since the 1700s, so they are deeply imbued in the area. In 1998 Fabrizio Fabiani and Andrea Luzi formally teamed up as the Luzi Donadei Fabiani cantina, with Fabrizio Fabiani in charge of tending and vinifying the 13.5 hectares of vineyards, with 90 percent of the acreage dedicated to Dolcetto.
On the nose, the wine is bursting with raspberries; though the grape is noted more for its black cherry and liquorice, this is a very light and floral example. Very light in body, this wine is very delicate and the berries really come through in the mouth. Ideally, the wine should be paired with light pasta and pizza dishes. I think I’m getting the hang of this trying new things thing…
