Stag Hollow, Dolcetto, 2006
My goodness, what an interesting wine. Oregon makes a lot of great wine, and most especially great Pinot Noir. But once and awhile, a winery will try something a bit off-the-beaten-track. And this is a good example of this done well.
First, Dolcetto is an Italian table wine. You can find many bottle of this varietal in the store, and they're generally on the low-end, price-wise. I've never seen this grape grown in Oregon. And I'm also a secret fan of Stag Hollow -- especially their Pinot. Though I didn't like their 2005 Pinot so much (but then, there are a lot of 2005s that I didn't like). So when I saw this bottle in the store, the intrigue to buy was inexorable (and only 124 cases were produced!).
The smell is really strong manure; and I mean that in a very good way -- for those that really like earthy wines. There was also a slight chemical smell. Some Dust. Hay. And black cherry.
If I drank this blind (I didn't), I would have guessed this to be French. It felt French, it tasted like a Bordeaux maybe. Basically it was super full-bodied and rich like a Cab. And tannic. It had a strong pepper taste. Under that was black cherry, and maybe some marionberry.
Then, it had a slightly acidic finish -- though long nonetheless. That acid turned to citrus; though not sour (more sharp than sour) -- tangerine or maybe pineapple. In the middle it was pepper again (spicy). There might be a slight clove there too.
This is a deep and dark wine! Despite a slight chemical smell and acid back, we liked this wine. It's probably really good with a steak! Ironically, we had lentils, couscous, asparagus, and a cauliflower+caper+tomato+onion dish. Oops, we forgot the meat!
Cost:
Rating:
8.5