Giuseppe Mascarello Dolcetto d’Alba DOC Vigna San Stefano di Perno 2022

Giuseppe Mascarello e Figlio is one of the most traditional estates of Piedmont in northwest Italy, now run by Mauro Mascarello, the fourth generation of the family. This Dolcetto d'Alba comes from the San Stefano di Perno vineyard, made from the native Dolcetto grape, the everyday red of the Langhe hills. Piedmont's calcareous marl soils and hillside sites drain well and give the wine its structure, while the cool continental climate and a wide day to night temperature range hold the grape's naturally soft acidity in balance and deepen its dark fruit. The wine ages eight months in old stone lagares, a neutral vessel that preserves the grape's fresh, dark fruit and fine tannin without adding oak flavour. The colour is a deep, dark ruby. The nose shows ripe plum, black cherry and red berries with liquorice and dried herbs. The palate is medium to full, with the soft acidity and gentle, faintly bitter almond tannins characteristic of Dolcetto, closing on a savoury, earthy note. Serve at 15 to 16 degrees. It suits pork, poultry and hard cheese.