Buoncristiani

These four young brothers (Matt, Jay, Aaron & Nate) grew up in Napa Valley, making wine for reputable producers such as Hess and Rudd, and traveling to Italy to reconnect with their family's roots and traditions.

Their Dolcetto is a tribute to their grandfather and ancestry. Clone 69 Dolcetto was planted in Yountville in a site warm enough to ensure an ultra ripe wine yet cool enough to mirror the climate of Piemonte.  They also source some great Dolcetto from the Unti Vineyard in Sonoma’s Dry Creek Valley owned by another passionate Italian family.

Crop thinning and controlled vineyard stress contribute to the uniformity and concentration of varietal flavor. Following harvest, they cold macerate and initiate fermentation slowly with an Italian yeast strain that was isolated from a Piedmont vineyard. During fermentation, caps are punched down by hand five times a day, extracting the rich flavor, color, and tannin from the thick skins. The small batches are kept separate during fermentation, after pressing, and throughout the first year of aging in French oak barrels. During the second year of barrel-aging, the vineyard components are blended together to create optimum complexity while retaining balance, varietal character, and superior quality.