Betsy and Bill Nachbauer buck the trend of growing only Burgundian varieties in Russian River Valley. They list toward Italian grapes in their Alegria Vineyard, and Dolcetto is among their passion fruits. Although this wine doesn’t have the cracking acidity typical of Piemontese Dolcetto from Northern Italy, it sports the classic dark cherry and blackberry character of the grape, in a richer, softer style, with black olive and licorice back notes.
Acorn Winery, Russian River Valley (Sonoma County, California) Dolcetto 2010
By Linda Murphy