Coeur d'Alene Cellars Plants Dolcetto Vineyard
Press Release: March 2016
In late spring of 2015, the winery planted the entire west hillside with Dolcetta grapevines. Not only will this add beauty and esthetic to the west side of the winery, but we are hopeful that the Dolcett0 might produce fruit for us some day.
With Barbera, Dolcetto is one of the two "everyday" wines of the Piedmont region in Italy. While the most favorable growing sites in Piedmont are reserved for Barolo and Barbaresco, winemakers plant Dolcetto widely where the temperamental Nebbiolo grape doesn't thrive. As Dolcetto is not made to age, but rather intended for more immediate consumption, these plantings allow the same winemakers who produce Barolo and Barbaresco to earn immediate revenue while their Nebbiolo wines mature.
Translating into English as "little sweet one", Dolcetto makes brightly colored wines, reddish-purple in hue, with aromas of blackberries and plums. We find these wines to be a great source of immediate gratification. On release, they are generally wonderfully fruity, with soft tannins. Really, there's little reason to hold onto Dolcetto for much longer than a year, after which its youthful fruit character starts to fade.
Dolcetto is especially versatile with food. There's some acidity, and some tannins, but not too much of either of these qualities to eliminate certain food options. Thus, it won't overwhelm more delicate seafood dishes, but will remain right at home with tomato-based pastas or meat dishes.
Coeur d'Alene Cellars Receives 91 Points
2012 Cabernet Sauvignon, $32
Press Release: March 2015
The Wine Enthusiast: This wine brings notes of plum, dried herbs, mocha and wood spice. It’s rich and silky in feel with sharp-edged acids, showing some warmth on the finish.
SEAN SULLIVAN
@wawinereport
Contributing Editor
Reviews wines from Washington and Idaho
In addition to his work at Wine Enthusiast, Sean P. Sullivan is the founder of Washington Wine Report, a site dedicated to the wines and wineries of the Pacific Northwest that has twice been named ‘Best Single Subject Wine Blog’ by the Wine Blog Awards. Sullivan has authored over 100 print articles on Northwest wine. He resides in Seattle, Washington.
Coeur d'Alene Cellars Lands Cover with Local Winemakers
Press Release: 2009
WASHINGTON’S up-and- coming wines are not just made in Washington! Inland Northwest is home to 15 wineries—12 in the Spokane area and three with North Idaho addresses. Their common passion is harvesting the lush fruit from Washington’s exceptional growing areas and bringing them home to create the outstanding wines of the Inland Northwest Mountain region. Our own area wines are getting attention far beyond the neighborhood!
Pend Oreille Winery was the first North Idaho winery and is celebrating their 13th anniversary this year. Coeur d’Alene Cellars began making wines in 2002 and is now one of the area’s top national award-winners. Don Townshend of Townshend Cellar, a Spokane area winery, also has a residence in Idaho and began making wine in 1998. Don said: “When people ask me why I started a winery in Spokane, I reply, ‘because that is where I raised my family, and I love the area.’” Townshend also has a cabin near Sandpoint on Lake Pend Oreille. He further stated that he “can’t imagine living anywhere else. The beauty, diversity of seasons and the sheer magnitude of outdoor activities cannot be matched.” And Kevin Rogers, the newest among them, of TimberRock Winery, said, “We like where we live; it’s great that our vineyards are within easy reach, so rather than bring our homes to the vineyard, we bring the vineyard to our homes.”
The similar mission all four wineries share is to make great wines ... where they really like to live. The Inland Northwest isn’t exactly a great location for growing fruit, but the lifestyles here suit these winemakers. Great fruit for their craft is only a few hours away, which enables them to live and make wine here, and the vineyard comes home to them.