Luigi Pira Dolcetto d'Alba 2010
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Robert
Parker
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2010 Dolcetto d’Alba is a dazzling wine. Blackberries, blueberry jam, tar and crushed rocks are just some of the notes that emerge from this textured, multi-dimensional Dolcetto. The house style is nicely balanced by the freshness of the year. This is a dynamite showing. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2015.
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2011-
Robert
Parker
Established in the early 1950s, at first the estate only produced and sold grapes. Later on, wine was produced and sold in bulk to local negociants. Only a few years ago the estate started ageing and bottling its own wines. Giampaolo Pira recently took the reins at his family’s eight-hectare estate, overseeing the cellars while brother Romolo and father Luigi maintain the vineyards. Pira’s holdings are in the three most prestigious crus in the Serralunga commune: "Margheria," "Marenca," and "Rionda."
An easy drinking red with soft fruity flavors—but catchy tannins, Dolcetto is often enjoyed in its native Piedmont on a casual weekday night, or for apertivo (the canonical Piedmontese pre-dinner appetizer hour). Somm Secret—In most of Piedmont, easy-ripening Dolcetto is relegated to the secondary sites—the best of which are reserved for the king variety: Nebbiolo. However, in the Dogliani zone it is the star of the show, and makes a more serious style of Dolcetto, many of which can improve with cellar time.
An historic village situated right in between the famous regions of Barolo and Barbaresco, Alba is also the name for the larger wine region surrounding the village.
In a sense, “Alba” is a catch-all phrase, and includes the declassified Nebbiolo wines made in Barolo and Barbaresco, as well as the Nebbiolo grown just outside of these regions’ borders. In fact, Nebbiolo d’Alba is a softer, less tannic and more fruit-forward wine ready to drink within just a couple years of bottling. It is a great place to start if you want to begin to understand the grape. Likewise, the even broader category of Langhe Nebbiolo offers approachable and value-driven options as well.
Barbera, planted alongside Nebbiolo in the surrounding hills, and referred to as Barbera d’Alba, takes on a more powerful and concentrated personality compared to its counterparts in Asti.
Dolcetto is ubiquitous here and, known as Dolcetto d'Alba, can be found casually served alongside antipasti on the tables of Alba’s cafes and wine bars.
Not surprisingly, given its location, Alba is recognized as one of Italy’s premiere culinary destinations and is the home of the fall truffle fair, which attracts visitors from worldwide every year.