Why it matters
The producer
In 2015, the Vaira family bought an estate in Farigliano not because Dolcetto was fashionable but because the old vineyards were disappearing. By that point, hazelnuts fetched more per kilogram than Dolcetto grapes in the Dogliani hills, and the parcels that had grown the grape for centuries were being abandoned or grubbed up. The Vairas, who had built their Langhe reputation through Barolo and Nebbiolo at G.D. Vajra, chose to plant a flag in a grape the market had effectively walked away from.
The estate sits in Farigliano, a village 16 kilometres south of Barolo, midway between Dogliani and Clavesana. The name they kept for the project, Monterustico, points toward Monviso, the peak that stands above the southern Langhe. The mission they wrote into their founding documents is to rediscover, safeguard, and share ancient vineyards and grape varieties, beginning with Dolcetto.
Place and vineyards
Where the wines begin
Farigliano occupies the southern edge of the Langhe, the hilly spine that runs through the heart of Piemonte. The village documented vine growing and winemaking from 1230, when the Marquis Manfredo III of Saluzzo recorded the practice in writing. The Dogliani DOCG, whose boundaries cover Farigliano, is the only appellation built primarily around Dolcetto rather than Nebbiolo. Where most Langhe DOCGs position Dolcetto as an everyday wine below Barolo and Barbaresco, Dogliani gives the grape its own classification with a correspondingly higher minimum ageing requirement.
The Tanaro River runs below the lower parcels. Its proximity moderates Dolcetto's ripening pace and allows the aromatic compounds to develop slowly rather than being driven off by summer heat. Cool Alpine winds move through the valley and compound this effect, lowering night temperatures and preserving freshness in the fruit. The calcareous soils hold acidity through the growing season, which matters for a grape that can tip toward flat, heavy red fruit when grown warm.
In the cellar
Vineyards and cellar
All Dolcetto at Monterustico is organically grown and certified. The three-zone vineyard splits the estate between calcareous hilltop marl, mid-slope clay marl, and lower alluvial parcels, and the blended Dogliani draws from across Farigliano and the broader Dogliani commune.
In the cellar, the Dogliani undergoes 18 to 20 days of maceration, partly with a submerged cap rather than a floating cap. Submerged cap fermentation keeps the grape skins in constant contact with the fermenting juice without the aggressive pumping or punching that can break seeds and drive harsh tannin into the wine. Long maceration draws out colour and extract steadily over a longer period. After fermentation, the wine ages in stainless steel, which preserves fruit character and acidity without adding oak influence. Dolcetto does not gain from barrel ageing in the way Nebbiolo does, and the stainless vessel keeps the grape's native floral and dark fruit character intact.
Wines to know
The range in view
The range has three wines. The Dogliani DOCG is the estate's core bottle: 100% Dolcetto, organically grown across Farigliano and Dogliani, with the long maceration and stainless ageing that define the house approach. It carries dark cherry and dried violet on the nose, with a palate of firm but supple tannin, lively acidity, and a clean, slightly bitter finish typical of the grape at its best. The tannin is velvety, with depth and ageing potential.
The Piemonte Rosso was the first wine produced at the estate. Its exact blend is not specified in published material, but it occupies a wider-appellation position in the range, likely softer in tannin and less age-driven than the Dogliani.
A useful way in
A bottle to begin with
Start with the Monterustico Dogliani DOCG. It is 100% Dolcetto grown on the estate's calcareous clay marl parcels in Farigliano and Dogliani, organically farmed, fermented over 18 to 20 days with a partly submerged cap, and aged in stainless steel. Those choices are not neutral: the long maceration and stainless vessel place the grape, the soil, and the site in the glass without wood or extracted tannin competing. The wine gives you dark cherry, dried violet, and a firm acid line from the calcareous soils, and a clean bitter finish that distinguishes Dolcetto from softer red grapes.