Once entirely limited to the confines of Europe, the remarkable wines of San Fereolo have slipped onto the world scene and generated impossible-to-ignore buzz. The mastermind behind it all is Nicoletta Bocca, a globally recognized authority of meticulous biodynamic farming and extremely long-aged reds from iconic Piedmont.
This palpable energy was first detected by a massive chunk of our subscribers upon offering Nicoletta’s soul-stirring “Austri” last year, and we expect it to surge to unprecedented levels with today’s flagship Dogliani. Given that it’s the most important cuvée of her entire lineup, it shouldn’t come as a surprise! I’ve been a part of this business for nearly two decades now and there’s still nothing quite like a mature, off-the-beaten-path bottle of wine that surpasses all expectations. This powerful, robust Dolcetto skillfully fuses raw terroir, old-vine muscle, and Piedmontese elegance; it’ll blast away the skeptics in one taste. Its brooding, dark-fruited depth is bottomless, its grace is breathtakingly understated, and its multi-flavored finish is only halted by your next sip. And, finally, after seven years of barrel and bottle aging in the deep cellars of Nicolette Bocca’s home, this complex Dolcetto masterpiece is ready to stun.
The tale of today’s brilliant wine begins with its equally brilliant creator, Nicoletta Bocca. In 1992—at a time when female winemakers were extremely rare in Piedmont—Nicoletta assembled the San Fereolo property from a collection of ancient vineyards whose owners were too old to farm any longer. Keep in mind that the parcels that produce today’s wine were most recently replanted in 1936 and even the estate’s “young vines” are four decades old! In the years following the property’s inception, Nicoletta has honed her skills and earned a reputation as a winemaking icon and one of the most brilliant and consistent organic/biodynamic producers in the world. Through Nicoletta’s skill, wisdom, and dogged insistence on cellar aging her wines for many years prior to release, San Fereolo has become synonymous with world-class wine.
Of course, it’s impossible to discuss a great wine without also diving into its place of origin. Nicoletta organically and biodynamically farms a small collection of ancient 1400 ft+ limestone vineyards that cling to the hillside above the Piedmontese village of Dogliani. If you have traveled the great wine regions of northern Italy, you may already be familiar with Dogliani as the final village one drives through before entering Barolo from the south. In addition to its close proximity to Barolo, Dogliani is arguably the most famous location for growing Dolcetto on the planet, and one of only a small handful of appellations wherein this grape variety earns the coveted DOCG status. This is because the finest examples of Dolcetto from Dogliani are unlike any other Dolcettos in Italy. In the rare instances when you encounter a mature bottle of Dogliani from a top estate and great vintage, it is clear that this appellation transcends mere varietal typicity. Top-quality, cellar-aged Dogliani possesses shocking power, length, and texture—it clearly deserves its elevated standing alongside Barolo, Barbaresco and the other elite village appellations of Piedmont.
Because of the stellar and time tested location and the chemical-free nature of her farming, Nicoletta’s fruit possesses exceptional personality and energy. The old Dolcetto vines that produce today’s wine (the property’s top label) somehow pack more density of fruit, tannic grip and length of finish that I’ve ever experienced in a Dolcetto. In the cellar, Nicoletta takes pains to preserve and never mask this unique character. Fruit is de-stemmed, crushed, and then fermented in large neutral Slavonian oak vats. There is no temperature control, the old wood imparts very little in the way of oaky aroma or flavor, and no additives or commercial yeasts are added—the wine is largely left untouched. The final, and perhaps most important step in Nicoletta’s process is time. She has a cavernous aging cellar in which this wine spent three years in barrel and four in bottle before leaving her estate. One cannot overstate the cost and deferred income here, and it’s equally impossible to deny the astounding depth and complexity born from numerous years of cellar aging before release.
Those who are privy to San Fereolo’s gorgeous yet underappreciated gems have certainly discovered an obvious through line between Nicoletta’s estate and Barolo, which are only separated by a few miles of road. In the glass, the wine is unmistakably Italian: crushed rocks, rose petal, damp violets, vintage leather, cacao, smoked meat, mountain herbs, truffle—ancient Piedmontese soil is clearly the star of this show. But there’s plenty of dense, concentrated fruit here as well. You’ll find lush, sublime layers of dried currants, black cherry liqueur, Damson plum, licorice, and dark bramble fruit bursting from a strong mineral core. Still, the “take-home message” of this long-aged beauty is the immense level of youthfulness and energy despite nearing its ninth birthday. Whether you inhale it in 60 minutes or save some for day two, I guarantee you’ll be shocked by its rich, full-bodied frame and raw mineral power. All of it speaks to the wine’s cellar potential—10+ more years—but you should certainly savor one now in large Burgundy stems. Cheers!
