2021 Poderi Colla, Dolcetto d’Alba DOC “Pian Balbo” Piedmonte, Italy.
I love good Dolcetto and this Poderi Colla Pian Balbo really hits the spot with dark flavors and not so common depth showing crushed blackberry, plum and mulberry fruits along with a touch of spice, wild herbs, food friendly tannin, bright acidity and floral details, making it appealing and impressive stuff. Mostly known for their Nebbiolo offerings, Poderi Colla excels in crafting pure and terroir driven wines and this Dolcetto is a terrific little wine and a very nice value. This is all from estate vines on the Drago Estate, which is in the Alba zone, but actually a filet piece of land that cuts into the Barbaresco area and set on hilltop near San Rocco d’Elvio on calcareous marl and sandy soils. This elevated cru Dolcetto feels deeper and more structured than most, but is still generous and even without any oak, expanding nicely on the medium bodied palate, it does best though with simple and hearty cuisine. Colla’s Pian Balbo Dolcetto is a confident and studied effort with plenty of joyous old world rustic charms.

Poderi Colla’s Drago estate, as mentioned above, near San Rocco Seno d’Elvio, close to the Barbaresco zone is not far from Gaja’s legendary crus, sitting almost next door, is prime Piedmonte real estate and Tino Colla is making some fabulous and transparent wines, like this one and the basic Langhe Nebbiolo 2020 that I recently reviewed here. The traditional and sustainable Poderi Colla, as noted in that prior review, was established by the late Beppe Colla and his longtime local family in 1993, after they sold their famous Prunotto winery to the Antinori empire, who wanted to move beyond their Tuscan roots and gain a foothold in Piedmonte. The Poderi Colla estate has three exceptional vineyards that covers about 70 acres, these include this Cascina Drago vineyard, where the Dolcetto and Langhe Nebbiolo are sourced, along with the Tenuta Dardi Le Rase in Barolo and the Tenuta Roncaglie in Barbaresco, where their top bottlings come from. The 100% de-stemmed and stainless fermented and aged Dolcetto really delivers the charm and appeals for its inviting and bright nature, enjoy this for the next 3 to 5 years.
($22 Est.) 93 Points, grapelive

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