When Nicoletta Bocca’s flagship Dogliani goes into barrel, the world must breathlessly wait at least seven years before getting a chance to taste the final product. Even for an exacting region like Piedmont, today’s 2012 serves as one of the most extreme case studies on cellar patience, and the long-awaited results are nothing short of a masterpiece.
Of course, masterpieces are created by masterminds, and the one behind today’s is Nicoletta Bocca, a globally recognized authority on meticulous biodynamic farming and profound Piedmontese reds. Over the years, we’ve championed the extraordinary energy and depth in her wines, but her 2012 Dogliani has completely gripped us. For one, it’s the most important cuvée in her entire lineup. Furthermore, she was able to add another dimension by being even more meticulous in the cellar, resulting in what could quite possibly be her most elegant Dogliani creation to date. I’ve been a part of this business for nearly two decades now and there’s nothing like a mature red from San Fereolo: Her powerful, silky, and robust Dolcetto skillfully fuses raw terroir, old-vine muscle, and Piedmontese elegance. It’ll blast away all skeptics with just one taste—if any remain, that is.
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 24 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 time-tested location and the chemical-free nature of her farming, Nicoletta’s fruit possesses exceptional personality and energy. 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.
During fermentation in 2012, Nicoletta began experimenting with a submerged cap which essentially is a more gradual winemaking approach that allows more skin contact. This resulted in a red of increased elegance and added complexity from the flavors and components of the skins themselves. It’s probably the greatest vintage of Dogliani I’ve tasted from her. 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, but there’s plenty of analogs to Northern Rhône and Bordeaux too! It displays a deep inky ruby in a Bordeaux stem and instantly emits intoxicating and brooding aromas of kirsch, dried black raspberries, boysenberry, spiced plums, underbrush, dried violets, scorched earth, menthol, and faint baking spice. The palate is rustic and studded with dark fruits although it’s propelled by a steady pulse of elegance that eluded previous vintages. Again, we’re in love with this new release and consider it to be among her greatest achievements yet. Enjoy now through 2030. Cheers!
