Poderi Luigi Einaudi, Dogliani (Piedmont, Italy) 2008

 This marvelous wine features deep, persistent flavors that seem almost uncanny in their expressiveness in light of the wine’s relatively modest weight.  Dark cherry notes predominate, with lots of subtle nuances that show themselves in the wine’s aroma and ride along with the fruit through the long, symmetrical finish.  Very fine-grained tannins provide framing and focus, with ripe acidity providing lift.  Very close to as good as Dolcetto can be, this is an extremely promising partner for an almost endless array of foods on the strength of its cohesiveness and balance.