2024 Ca’ di Press, Dolcetto d’Alba DOC, Piemonte, Italy.
The limpid translucent light ruby red 2024 Ca’ di Prsss Dolcetto d’Alba impressed for its delicacy, delicious nature and transparency of style, even if a bit less complex or deep for what would normally be expected of this hearty grape. I’d never had Ca’ Press and or had a Dolcetto done quite this way, but it grew on me and it was nice with food, showing off bright flavors on the medium bodied palate of crushed red berries, underbrush, briar, lilac flowers, mineral tones, minty anise and orange tea. This Dolcetto has a slightly carbonic like juiciness and soft tannins, and it benefits from a bit of a chill and simple cuisine choices, going well with grilled steak and baked salmon on the night I tried it. Again thanks to my friend Alex Lallos, who visited Piemonte earlier this year and has introduced me to some all new labels, including the natural and organic Ca’ di Press winery, and as always a fine meal to go along with them.
Ca’ di Press winery, which dates back to the early 1900s, has some prime vineyard spots, like where this wine comes from, it is sourced from old-vine plots in the famous Perno (Barolo) zone of Monforte d’Alba, set on sandy-clay soils with slightly cooler southeast and northeast exposures. The grapes, organically grown, are all hand-harvested here, 100% de-stemmed, though not crushed, and then naturally fermented in stainless steel for about 10–15 days. This process, provides the mentioned carbonic like juicy flavors and rounded texture, as noted above. The wine then ages 6 months in stainless steel tanks followed by 2 months in bottle, after which it is released fresh to the wild. Ca’ di Press, which sold grapes for a hundred years, finally started bottling their own wines in 2018 and now produce mainly a limited Barolo, along with this unique, almost Gamay inspired, Dolcetto d’Alba, a Barbera d’Alba and a Langhe Nebbiolo, all of which I’d love to try.
($24 Est.) 90 Points, grapelive