In our early days in Monterey back in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, we occasionally tried Bargetto wines down on Cannery Row. Way back then, we were tasting Napa and Sonoma wines and were not impressed. But things have changed, both on the winery’s end and in my exploration of Central Coast Wines. When my wine class chose a theme of Dolcetto wines, I decided to go local!
Here are a few highlights from this good writeup of Dolcetto here: “Dolcetto is a dark-skinned wine grape from the Monferrato hills of northwestern Italy…Often viewed as Piedmont’s third red-wine grape, Dolcetto is something of a poor cousin to Nebbiolo and Barbera…A typical Dolcetto wine is intensely and brightly colored and offers dark, gently spicy aromas with earthy undertones of almonds – or walnuts in more tannic examples…”
About Bargetto: “The Bargetto winemaking heritage began with brothers Phillip and John Bargetto who from Castelnuovo Don Bosco, a small town in the Piedmont region of northern Italy. They brought with them years of winegrowing experience when they established BARGETTO WINERY on the banks of Soquel Creek in California…The original Bargetto family winery was located in San Francisco from 1910-1917. The name of this winery was South Montebello Vineyard and Wine Company. With Prohibition on the horizon the winery was closed and the brothers moved to Soquel in 1917…The third generation of Bargettos now direct the operation of the winery. BARGETTO WINERY represents the oldest continuous-operation winery in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Their pioneering spirit continued with the establishment of Bargetto Regan Estate Vineyards, near Corralitos, California in 1992. Here, cool-climate varietals like Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Grigio are carefully nurtured to produce BARGETTO WINERY’s estate wines. In keeping with the family heritage, the winery also incorporates northern Italian varietals from its Estate Vineyard into its flagship LA VITA wine.”
2017 Bargetto Dolcetto SCM Regan Vineyard Heritage, Santa Cruz Mountains, 13.5% AVA, $35 (#255*) 98% Dolcetto 2% Petite Sirah (290 cases produced)
Winemaker’s Notes from the Bargetto Web Site: “This 2017 Dolcetto has a beautifully deep ruby red color, and opens with aromas of black cherry, black pepper, and toasty oak. It follows with notes of plum, black cherry, savory spice, and floral potpourri on the palate. This wine is full bodied, with big rich tannins. Although Dolcetto is historically known for being a low-acid wine meant to be drunk early, this Santa Cruz Mountains rendition has plenty of acid and structure to age beautifully.”
My Review: Dark ruby red in color. At first, the nose was plastic, violet and perfume. After open for 1.5 hours, the “plastic” subsided and was replaced with cherry notes. By the next day, I’d add red currant to the bouquet. Palate at first continued the nose, but as it opened, some blueberry, more cherry and black currant emerged, a bit astringent with a very dry finish. By the next day, this was a heavier, tasty red. January 2021
You can purchase Bargetto wines here: https://bargetto.com/ or visit them at their tasting room at 700-G Cannery Row, Monterey, or their historic winery and tasting room in Soquel. Tastings are by reservation only.
*Refers to wines tasted while Sheltering in Place on Sharon’s personal Facebook group “Sharon’s Central Coast (Monterey) Wine Blog” – including non-Central Coast wines.
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