Alario Claudio

Perched high in the natural amphitheatre of Sorì Costa Fiore, Dolcetto di Diano d’Alba feels like a vineyard that knows exactly what it wants. The Alario family has farmed this site since the 1950s, and it shows. First bottled in 1988, the vineyard sits at 350 metres with south-westerly exposure, giving the grape a depth and structure that old vines, now well past sixty, concentrate even further. The yields are low, the fruit intense, and the wine has real ageing potential.

On the nose, dark ripe fruit takes the lead, lifted by an unexpected tropical note. The palate is structured yet wrapped in generous, ripe flavours, carrying through to a long finish with a mineral thread from the limestone soils. This Dolcetto charms immediately but also rewards a little patience in the cellar.