2021 Cantina Luca Leggero Villareggia, Langhe Dolcetto DOC “Retro” Canavese, Piemonte, Italy.
A very new discovery, Luca Ledger’s beautiful and transparent dark garnet/ruby Langhe Dolcetto DOC “Retro” from the Alta Langhe’s Canavese area in Piemonte is a tasty red wine with dark fruits, floral tones, a light dusting of spices, fine tannins and sweet and sour herbal notes. This medium bodied Dolcetto, which saw 7 months in stainless steel tank, has a mix of huckleberry, black cherry, currant and brambly blackberry fruits on the slightly earthy, nicely dry and mineral palate. The winemaking at Cantina Luca Leggero is, as winery notes, natural, diverse and carefully tailored to each wine, utilizing amphorae and large oak barrels. Terracotta (clay) Amphorae, as Luca notes is an ancient method of winemaking, is a vessel which allows the wines to mature gradually while preserving the distinctive grape aromas. Large oak barrels, used exclusively for red wines, impart depth and complexity, softening tannins and harmonizing flavors, while the Dolcetto, as mentioned above, saw exclusively the stainless steel. This 2021 Retro Dolcetto was a joy to experience and reminded me again of how much I like this grape, in fact the very first case of wine I ever ordered and bought was an old school Dolcetto d’Alba in the early 1980s.
The Luca Leggero Winery, based in the small Piemonte village of Villareggia, specializes in organic and sustainable winemaking, with a signature collection of red and white wines, led by their Erbaluce di Caluso DOCG. The winery says Luca’s journey into winemaking began at the young age of sixteen when he started experimenting in his home cellar, learning the intricacies of grape pressing, fermentation, and refinement. Going on a few years, Leggero planted his first vineyards in 2011, after which Luca established his winery with a focus on Nebbiolo, as well as Docetto, as seen here, along with the mentioned Erbaluce. Everything is done with a respect for nature and Leggero is committed to environmental sustainability, working with organic principles and making wines that show off terroir influences. The “morenic” soil of Villareggia, in the Canavese zone of the Alta Langhe, where the Leggero vineyards are located, is rich in sand and rock fragments from the movements of ancient glaciers. This unique soil composition, the winery explains, forces the vine roots to grow deep in search of nutrients, resulting in concentrated grapes that produce mineral-rich wines. This producer was a happy new discovery, imported to California by Tanaro River Imports, and I’m excited to try the whole lineup of Luca’s wines, especially the Erbaluce di Caluso DOCG white and the Amphora raised Nebbiolo, both of which sound like very interesting offerings.
($27 Est.) 92 Points, grapelive