La Castella - Dolcetto d'Alba DOC 2023

Deep dark purple in color. Juicy aromas of cherry and raspberry, with subtle spicy notes. Dry and fruity on the palate, with fresh acidity and a soft, slightly earthy finish. A lively Dolcetto.

Delicious with antipasti, pizza, pasta, salami, and light meat dishes. Also an excellent aperitivo wine. Serve at 15-17 °C.

Just outside the village of Roddino, right on the border with Serralunga d'Alba, lies the small family winery La Castella. It owns approximately 5 hectares of vineyards in the municipalities of Roddino and Sinio, planted with Dolcetto, Barbera, Nebbiolo, and the rare Rossese Bianco. In the nineties, Silvio Cassino began bottling his own wines and selling them under his own label.

His daughters Elena and Monica both graduated from the renowned wine school in Alba. Monica then specialized in viticulture at Geisenheim University in Germany. Upon her return home, a significant boost in quality followed, both in the vineyard and in the cellar.

The family has always been proud to be custodians of the Rossese Bianco, a grape with Ligurian roots that in the Langhe is only found in Sinio, Roddino, and Monforte d'Alba. The Nebbiolo comes from Bricco del Gallo, a beautiful hamlet in Sinio at an altitude of five hundred meters, facing southwest. The soil is similar to that of Serralunga and produces high-quality Nebbiolo wines.

A little further toward Serralunga lies the hamlet of La Castella, where the winery started in the last century and where the family owns the surrounding vineyards. It is a hamlet with a few houses, inhabited until 2011 by the grandfather of Elena and Monica. History is repeating itself: the sisters are now renovating the hamlet with the aim of living there themselves.

A small winery, a rare grape, and two sisters building on their father's work. Discover the wines of La Castella in our webshop.

The grapes come from vineyards around Roddino and Sinio, at an altitude of approximately 400–500 meters. The southwesterly exposure and soils of clay, calcareous marl, and tuff ensure ripe fruit, freshness, and character.

The grapes ferment and macerate on their skins for 5–6 days in stainless steel tanks. The wine then matures in steel for approximately seven months, followed by further bottle aging. This preserves the fruit and fresh style of the Dolcetto.

This is primarily a wine to be enjoyed young and fresh. Its fruity character is best experienced within the first few years. Drink now up to approximately 3 years after the harvest.