When you first start getting into Piedmontese wine, you’re told that Dolcetto and Barbera grapes are planted in the sites where Nebbiolo, the grape in Barolo and Barbaresco, won’t ripen properly. The implication is that the “best” vineyard locations are reserved for Nebbiolo while Dolcetto and Barbera fill in the gaps. But let’s look at it another way: Some sites, particularly those at higher elevations on the fringes of the Barolo DOCG zone, are “best” for Dolcetto and Barbera. As some of the greatest Barolo producers in history will tell you, these varieties are the furthest thing from “also-rans.” Dolcetto, for example, has achieved true greatness in the hands of icons like Bartolo Mascarello, Cavallotto, Bruno Giacosa, and Roberto Voerzio, among many others. There are seven different geographically specific DOC(G) appellations devoted to the grape, including Diano d’Alba, the village from which today’s wine hails. All of which is a long-winded way of saying: Dolcetto is awesome and you need more of it in your life.

Today’s pitch-perfect rendition is part of a lineup of vineyard-designate wines produced by Terre del Barolo, the historic cooperative winery in Barolo, and named for Arnaldo Rivera, the coop’s legendary founder. Wines carrying the Arnaldo Rivera label are part of a “greatest hits” compilation, first launched in 2013, to showcase the best vineyards within the co-op’s vast network. “Sorì del Cascinotto” is one of these vineyards, a perfect south-facing site in Diano d’Alba that delivers a Dolcetto of palate-coating richness, profound minerality, and bracing freshness. There’s no oak—just pure, vivid fruit, flowers, and earth—and if you’d like to drink the wine most Barolo-makers have in their glasses more often than Barolo, this is it!

Arnaldo Rivera the person was a schoolteacher, the longtime Mayor of Castiglione Falletto (one of the key villages in the Barolo appellation), and, in 1958, the founder of the Terre del Barolo winery, which brought together small grape-growers from all over the region under one roof. Arnaldo Rivera the “project” is an effort by Terre del Barolo to pay homage to the man with wines obtained from the most significant “cru” vineyards in their portfolio—and not just famous Nebbiolo/Barolo vineyards such as “Bussia,” “Vignarionda,” and “Monvigliero” but other gems like “Sorì del Cascinotto.” The vineyard owners adhere to quality and sustainability standards set by Terre del Barolo (chemical inputs are forbidden; caps on yields are set), which sends teams out into the participating vineyards throughout the year to monitor their progress.

The village of Diano d’Alba is one of the 11 communes that fall within the boundaries of the Barolo DOCG zone. But it’s only a portion of Diano d’Alba: much of the vineyard land in the village climbs into the hills on the outskirts of Barolo, to elevations that are a little too marginal for the late-ripening Nebbiolo grape. These cooler sites are perfect for the early-ripening Dolcetto, enabling the variety to hang on the vine longer to develop complexity. “Sorì” is an old Piedmontese word translating roughly to “exposure,” or “aspect,” which in the case of the Cascinotto site is full south: great for absorbing all-day sun. Historically, wines from the village were labeled Dolcetto di Diano d’Alba—one of the many village-specific appellations for the grape (others include Dogliani; Ovada; and of course, Alba and Asti). For most producers, the preferred nomenclature these days is just the village name on its own.

Historically, probably the best analog for the style of Piedmontese Dolcetto, regardless of appellation, was Cru Beaujolais: black and blue fruits, violets, and a touch of iron on a bright, medium-bodied frame. Today you’ll find many examples that are inkier and more tannic, especially from Dogliani, but I’d place today’s wine in the more “classic” camp. It has great concentration but is still characterized by energy and freshness rather than heft. It was fermented and aged only in stainless steel, producing a typically deep ruby/purple-hued wine with an initial aromatic impression of wild black and blue berries picked right off the bush. Vivid scents of black raspberry, boysenberry, black plum, lavender, violet, turned earth, and black pepper are confirmed on the medium-bodied palate, which sets the salivary response in motion with freshness and a nip of fine-grained tannin (don’t be fooled by the name “Dolcetto,” which implies sweetness: the fruit is plenty ripe but there’s lots of savor as well). Think of a ripe-vintage Cru Beaujolais with a touch more muscle and you’ve got it pretty much figured out. I can see this wine becoming a house staple for those who appreciate food-friendliness and easy drinkability: decant it 30 minutes before serving in Burgundy stems with some good old-fashioned Italian polpette (meatballs). It will have you yearning for a trip to Italy for a long, meandering, osteria-style lunch. Enjoy!