Diego Conterno, Dolcetto d'Alba

Dolcetto is one of the most widely consumed red grapes in Northern Italy, especially in Piedmont, where it’s often what’s actually on the table while the Nebbiolo rests in the cellar. In a region obsessed with Barolo, this is what people actually drink. It’s the wine of the everyday meal, poured young, fresh, and without ceremony. But not all Dolcetto is created equal. The most compelling versions come from the same great hills that produce Barolo, where site and farming elevate it far beyond simple. Case in point: this comes from Monforte d’Alba, one of the most structured, powerful villages in Barolo, from Diego Conterno’s estate vineyards in Bricco Monguglielmo, a west-facing site with vines ranging from 10 to 55 years old. This is Dolcetto with depth, shape, and real presence, serious, but dangerously drinkable.

Piedmont is a land defined by Nebbiolo, the appellations of Barolo and Barbaresco towering over everything, but the culture of drinking there tells a different story. Dolcetto has long been the daily wine of the region, historically consumed young by growers and locals because Nebbiolo required years, sometimes decades, to come around. Even today, Dolcetto fills that role: it’s what’s opened on a Tuesday night, what’s poured with simple meals, what shows up when you just want a delicious glass without overthinking it. Traditionally harvested earlier than Nebbiolo and vinified for immediate pleasure, it delivers dark fruit and soft tannin—built for the table, not the cellar. But when it comes from serious sites, like Monforte, it gains a level of structure and mineral backbone that pushes it into something far more compelling.

Diego Conterno is part of a new generation in Piedmont that respects tradition but isn’t bound by it. Trained at the Alba enological school, he began his career working with Beppe Colla at Prunotto before co-founding Conterno-Fantino in the early 1980s, helping shape a new era of Barolo. In 2000, he stepped away to pursue a more personal vision, establishing his own estate in Monforte d’Alba with a small collection of prized vineyard holdings, including parcels around the famed Ginestra area. Today, he works alongside his son Stefano, farming organically and focusing on precision, purity, and transparency to site.

The fruit for this Dolcetto comes from Bricco Monguglielmo, a historic, west-facing hillside with estate vines ranging from 10 to 55 years old, naturally limiting yields and concentrating flavor. In the cellar, the approach is clean and restrained, fermentation in stainless steel to preserve freshness and varietal character, followed by a short élevage without heavy oak influence. While his Barolo program leans into longer macerations and large neutral oak botti, here the goal is immediacy and clarity. The result is a Dolcetto that feels honest to both grape and place, nothing dressed up, just pure, perfectly executed Dolcetto.

In the glass, it’s everything you want from a great Dolcetto, deep purple with a vibrant edge, the nose loaded with black cherry, plum, and crushed blackberry, layered with wild herbs and a touch of almond, a classic signature of the grape. On the palate, it’s supple but not simple. There's real structure here, a gentle grip of tannin, and that subtle bitter snap that keeps it dry, savory, and incredibly food-friendly. Serve it just slightly cool, around 55–60°F, in Burgundy stems. This is built for the table: tajarin with ragù, pizza straight from the oven, roast chicken, grilled sausages, or a simple spread of salumi and aged cheeses. It’s the kind of wine you open without thinking, and then realize halfway through the bottle that you should have grabbed a second.