Love Sam and Dave (LSD) 

Dolcetto, Langhorne Creek 2022

This wine was one of my unexpected standouts of the year.  We fell in love with Dolcetto in Italy — the lighter, fresher, more vibrant cousin of Barolo, the wine locals actually drink while the big reds are still sleeping in barrel. We like that energy. This is a wine made to be opened, not saved.

Made in a light and vibrant style with an abundance of red fruit aromas. Freshly picked cherries dominate, providing a delightful burst of early summer vibes. Intertwined with the cherries are notes of ripe raspberries and plump strawberries. Hints of violet and wildflowers add a subtle floral complexity, while a touch of spice, perhaps a hint of black pepper, contributes an appealing depth to the aroma. Mid-palate, there is a gentle transition into more nuanced flavours. Delicate herbal notes, like thyme or rosemary, gently intertwine with the fruitiness, providing an intriguing layer of complexity. Silky tannins lend a smooth texture and add a touch of structure to the wine.

Langhorne Creek's proximity to Lake Alexandrina gives it a natural moderating effect — warm days, cool nights, and a gentleness to the fruit that suits Dolcetto well. What comes through in the glass is pure and unfussy. 

Drink it slightly cool. Drink it soon. Drink it with whatever you're cooking tonight — it's that kind of wine.

A bit more about Dolcetto in Australia:

Native to northwest Italy, Dolcetto — "little sweet one" — is one of those names that misleads. There's nothing sweet about it. What you get instead is deep colour, plummy dark fruit, a characteristic bitter almond finish, and tannins that are present but never pushy. It's the grape Piedmontese winemakers reach for on a Tuesday night, and for good reason: it's delicious, it's immediate, and it goes with almost everything on the table.

Australia has a longer history with Dolcetto than most people realise. Best's Great Western in Victoria planted it in the 1860s — making some of the oldest Dolcetto vines in the world — though it was mistaken for Malbec for over a century. It's still a rare find here, which is part of why we love working with it.

We think the freshness and vibrancy of this wine is the perfect match for the Aussie lifestyle.