Poderi Colla, Dolcetto d'Alba, "Pian Balbo," Piedmont, Italy 2023

Bepe Colla is one of Barolo's most important winemaking figures with decades of experience under his belt.

Beppe Colla bought Prunotto in 1956 and was one of the first winemakers in the Langhe to focus on bottling single vineyard wines, inspired by his travels to Burgundy in the 1950s which taught him, above all else, to appreciate balance. He sold Prunotto to Antinori in 1990, keeping plots of his favorite vineyards - Roncaglie and Bussia - which then became part of Poderi Colla, a project started by Beppe himself, his daughter Federica, and his younger brother Tino. Poderi Colla is the product of three hundred years of family experience guided by Beppe Colla’s vision.

Pian Balbo

Sourced from a vineyard that was planted in 1970, which is rather old for Dolcetto. The wine is fermented and aged exclusively in stainless steel- the only wine from the Colla portfolio that sees no oak aging- producing a lifted, juicy and round Dolcetto. 

Dolcetto

Translates to "The Little Sweet One," not because produces sweet wines, but because it tends to have high sugar levels in the vineyard, producing fuller-bodied, high alcohol wines that are juicy and rich. Most winemakers in Piedmont would attest that Dolcetto is one of the toughest grapes to work with, both in the vineyard and in the cellar. 

The best expressions of Dolcetto are produced in one of the 3 DOCGs, Diano d'Alba, Ovada and Dogliani. Dolcetto d'Acqui is another great region for Dolcetto, although almost non-existent in the International market.