ANNA MARIA ABBONA MAIOLI DOLCETTO DOCG 2020

Like the wines of Alto Piemonte, Dolcetto from Dogliani is still mostly unknown and underappreciated, which is a shame because Dogliani is the home of some truly special wines. The Abbona vineyards started in 1936 with the great-grandfather of Federico Schellino, the current generation to grow grapes and make wine here. The winery has 18ha of organically-farmed vineyards that  are 500-550masl on some of the steepest slopes you will find in this part of Piemonte. The vineyards are made up of white, brown, and red soils and are filled with blue stones in many places. The landscape is very dramatic and so are the wines.

Single-vineyard, Maioli, nearby the winery in Moncucco. It is the oldest vineyard of the winery with steep slopes, sitting at an elevation of 500-550masl, facing south/southwest.

In the glass, the Maioli 2020 is almost black in the centre, with an inky, ruby purple colour that flashes bright crimson just at the edge. Dense black fruit aromatics of sun-warmed wild blueberries, Damson plums, and crushed violets share the stage with black licorice, cracked peppercorns, and mushrooms, as the nose evolves in the glass. On the palate, the wine is mouthfilling, generous, and supple, with luscious warm black fruit flavours that echo the nose, all seasoned with delicately bitter dark chocolate, eucalyptus, tea, and framed in ripe, silky round tannins and refreshing minerality.