2012 Woodward Canyon Estate Dolcetto

Well, it's a thunder stormy Saturday, but at least I finished the yard work and mowing before the rain started falling!  So now it's time to relax with a glass of wine, and tonight it's the 2012 Woodward Canyon Estate Dolcetto, a northern Italian varietal from one of my favorite wineries in Walla Walla, Washington.  Now I'll admit this wine is harder to come by now that I'm in Indiana, but thankfully despite the shipping restrictions I can have this wine shipped to a friend in Michigan so I can still enjoy it!

The wine is a deep ruby in the glass, with great color and legs.  The nose is just terrific, with rich aromas of leather, ripe berries and mineral notes.  The taste is lovely, with a blast of fresh fruit at the outset, strawberries, blackberries and cherries, which effortlessly transition to some notes of dusty limestone, cocoa powder and warm spice notes.  The finish is lovely, with a second round of ripe fruit notes to accompany the long, dry, velvety finish.  A very pleasant wine that seems to have me begging for more!

Overall I would rate this wine a solid 8.5 with opportunity to improve with a little time in the cellar.  This would be a great wine to sip on the patio (as I was doing earlier), or to pair with a broad variety of dishes. For tonight's pairing I'm going a little off the reservation and enjoying this one with some snow crab legs, a baked potato and some haricots verts almondine.  The fruit and tartness of this wine is a perfect foil for the richness of the crab, even though it's not customary to pair a red wine with seafood!  Cheers!