2024 Bartolo Mascarello, Dolcetto d'Alba

Dolcetto is the everyday wine of the Langhe — the bottle that gets opened on a Tuesday, poured without ceremony alongside whatever is on the table. At Bartolo Mascarello, even the Tuesday wine is made with complete conviction. Maria Teresa farms without synthetic inputs, ferments with indigenous yeasts, and ages in neutral botti. The same hands, the same vineyards, the same refusal to compromise.

The 2024 vintage was demanding — a wet spring and summer followed by significant September rains that required careful cluster thinning to achieve concentration. The work paid off. This is a lighter, fresher expression of Dolcetto, which suits the variety's natural character: dark fruit, a bitter almond snap on the finish, and just enough structure to hold its own with food. From one of Barolo's most important addresses, it drinks beautifully right now.