G. D. Vajra, Dolcetto d’Alba (Piedmont, Italy) 2015

The wine world is abuzz over the 2015 vintage of red wines from many appellations in Europe, including those in the Langhe District around Alba and its famous wines from Barolo and Barbaresco.  The 2015 Barbarescos won’t be released for another year, and the Barolos won’t appear for two years, but the striking excellence of this Dolcetto shows that excited anticipation is entirely in order.  Vajra is an excellent producer, so the growing season isn’t all that’s expressed in this wine, but even when taken into account, the absolutely perfect ripening of the fruit in this bottling clearly says something wonderful about the vintage.  Gorgeous notes of red berries are exceptionally pure and expressive, and though there’s a streak of juicy sweetness to counterbalance Dolcetto’s grippy tannins, there’s nothing obvious or over-ripe about the fruit.  Rather, the overall impression is one of exceptional naturalness and perfect integration, with the latter characteristic being highly unusual for Dolcetto (which almost always displays a push-pull relationship between fruit and tannin while the wines are young, rather than the seamlessness showing here).  A wonderful choice for poultry or dishes based on white meats, or as a sipper to go with antipasti.  If my score is off, it is off on the low side, and if you’ve never developed a relationship with Dolcetto, this would be a great first date.