Ellena Giuseppe Dolcetto d'Alba 2011
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Agricola Ellena Giuseppe is located in the prized commune of La Morra. The property is 15 hectares with five under vine and eight hectares of hazelnuts. From 1966 through the mid-2000s the Ellenas sold fruit to local co-ops. That all changed when young Matteo took over the property with his father in 2009.
Today, three generations work side by side weaving tradition and innovation. Matteo worked for both Elio Altare of La Morra and Giacoma Bologna of Rocchetta Tanaro, bringing a bit of style from both of these producers and fusing modernity with classic. The viticulture is quite traditional and was the first thing Mateo went to work on. They have converted the vineyard to practicing organic viticulture, with manual weed management and practicing sexual confusion in the vineyard, curtailing savage moths from destroying the vineyard. Low yields are obtained through multiple shoot thinnings, intensifying the fruit when necessary.
In the cellar everything is vinified the way it should be. The younger wines are given soft handling with higher temperature ferments and shorter time in oak, if it sees wood at all. The Baroli are macerated for 60+ days on the skins and held traditionally in botti with a bit of barrique. Primary and malolactic ferments are carried out with indigenous yeasts and the rackings are limited in order to lessen the use of sulfur dioxide.
An easy drinking red with soft fruity flavors—but catchy tannins, Dolcetto is often enjoyed in its native Piedmont on a casual weekday night, or for apertivo (the canonical Piedmontese pre-dinner appetizer hour). Somm Secret—In most of Piedmont, easy-ripening Dolcetto is relegated to the secondary sites—the best of which are reserved for the king variety: Nebbiolo. However, in the Dogliani zone it is the star of the show, and makes a more serious style of Dolcetto, many of which can improve with cellar time.
An historic village situated right in between the famous regions of Barolo and Barbaresco, Alba is also the name for the larger wine region surrounding the village.
In a sense, “Alba” is a catch-all phrase, and includes the declassified Nebbiolo wines made in Barolo and Barbaresco, as well as the Nebbiolo grown just outside of these regions’ borders. In fact, Nebbiolo d’Alba is a softer, less tannic and more fruit-forward wine ready to drink within just a couple years of bottling. It is a great place to start if you want to begin to understand the grape. Likewise, the even broader category of Langhe Nebbiolo offers approachable and value-driven options as well.
Barbera, planted alongside Nebbiolo in the surrounding hills, and referred to as Barbera d’Alba, takes on a more powerful and concentrated personality compared to its counterparts in Asti.
Dolcetto is ubiquitous here and, known as Dolcetto d'Alba, can be found casually served alongside antipasti on the tables of Alba’s cafes and wine bars.
Not surprisingly, given its location, Alba is recognized as one of Italy’s premiere culinary destinations and is the home of the fall truffle fair, which attracts visitors from worldwide every year.