The name “Sori dij But” makes reference to south-facing vineyards (sorì is a Piedmontese word translating roughly to “exposure” or “aspect”) in the hamlet of Butti, where the Abbona cellars are located. Anna Maria Abbona’s great-grandfather tended vineyards as a sharecropper and her grandfather established the framework of the current property in the 1930s, but the family sold grapes to cooperatives until Anna Maria and her husband, Franco Schellino, both left jobs in other fields to “come home” and establish a winemaking operation in 1989. Vines for “Sorì dij But” range from 40-45 years of age and are rooted in similar marls to those found just to the north in Barolo; altitudes, however, reach past 500 meters, so while Dogliani wines boast lots of inky color and extract, they’re also blessed with lots of freshness and lift. “Sorì dij But” is fermented and aged in stainless steel and offers a tantalizing combination of plummy, dark-fruited richness and floral, mineral-flecked freshness. It is a pure pleasure to drink.