Brett happens

Grignolino d’Asti 2014, Grignè, Montalbera ($19.35, 13014372)
100% Grignolino from five- to 25-year-old vines. Manually harvested. Fermented in stainless steel tanks for 15 days, with the seeds removed after four to six days. Undergoes malolactic fermentation. Racked into stainless steel tanks for four months’ maturation. Lightly filtered. Reducing sugar: 7.0 g/l. 12.5% ABV. Quebec agent: Valmonti.
Cedar, “old lady’s rose perfume” (in the words of another taster), tea leaves, sour cherry. Becomes perfumier as it breathes and eventually takes on a honey note. Light- to medium-bodied. The bright acidity and higher-than-usual residual sugar confer a sweet-and-sour edge, “like rose kombucha.” Tannins are slim and only a little raspy. Dark minerals and a sappy green streak tether the floral component. A faint bitterness lingers through the finish. Quite different (more Ruchè- or Larcrima di Morro-like) from other Grignolinos I’ve tried – this one, for example. (Buy again? Probably not, though I’ll gladly check out the 2015 if it’s drier.)

Dogliani 2014, San Luigi, Chionetti ($21.80, 12466001)
See here for background on the producer. 100% Dolcetto from vines averaging around 25 years old and grown in the San Luigi vineyard. Manually harvested. The soft-pressed grapes were macerated and fermented in temperature-controlled (max 29–30°C) tanks with indigenous yeasts and daily pump-overs for seven days. The wine was racked into new tanks for malolactic fermentation and 11 months’ maturation. Saw only stainless steel until bottling. Cold stabilized but unfiltered. Reducing sugar: 1.9 g/l. 13.5% ABV. Quebec agent: oenopole.
Mulberry, morello cherry, animale and sandalwood. A silky middleweight. Fruity but dry and nicely tart. Slightly rustic tannins give it a light, pervasive astringency, the rumbling of minerals a modicum of depth. Finishes faster than I’d like though a bitter almond note lingers. Pure, tasty and easy to down. (Buy again? Yep.)

MWG October 27, 2016, tasting: flight 4 of 7