2023 Castello di Perno, Dolcetto, Ciama N’Aut Rosso, Piemonte, Italy.
The dark colored and floral Ciama N’Aut semi-carbonic whole cluster fermented Dolcetto is a juicy, but dry almost Beaujolais like style red from Barolo producer Castello di Perno, who are fast becoming a go to winery in the Alba area, and this compelling easily quaffable wine is delicious. The bright and crunchy Ciama D’Aut Rosso, 100% Dolcetto was old school whole cluster, foot trodded and quickly fermented and raised to be a fun and rustic wine that shows off blackberry, currant, cherry and tree picked ripe plum fruit, along with a bright array of spice and herb notes, as well as orange rind and minty zesty details. There’s hints of tannin, earth and chalky stones, but the fruit and low alcohol make this a wine to enjoy now and is best with simple cuisine choices, like picnic or beach lunches, burgers, pasta and or hard cheeses.
The estate, an ancient Castle in the hills above Monforte d’Alba, Castello di Perno was a lesser known property in Barolo, but after Giorgio Gitti purchased it and the estate in 2012 from the famous Einaudi family things started to get exciting and these wines are great discoveries. I absolutely fell in love with the 2018 Nizza DOCG by Castello di Perno, who are mostly known for their cru (Perno) Barolo, and tasting it blind I almost thought it too was Barolo or Nebbiolo, such is the unique personality and elegant power in this 100% Barbera, and I also enjoyed this Dolcetto and the rare Nascetta white too. While, so far I’ve really only mentioned Perno’s extra wines, there Barolo offerings are very serious efforts and still are top notch values for the money and I highly recommend digging into the full collection of wines here. The Barolos see aging in large Austrian Botti and then are cellar matured in bottle for up to 4 years and are tightly wound classics that deserve your attention. That said, I love ready to go reds, especially the Langhe Nebbiolo, this Ciama D”Aut Dolcetto and the mentioned Barbera.
($20 Est.) 88 Points, grapelive