As our exploration of the wines of Italy from paths less-traveled, I found this delicious red from Liguria.  Rossese di Dolceacqua was the first DOC in Liguria.  Liguria is the second smallest province in Italy and home to Cinque Terra.  The wine production area is in the Riviera di Ponente, and a short drive from the French-Italian border.  Rossese, as it is called in Liguria, is called Tibouren in France.  By either name, it is a varietal that is cultivated in a small, specific region. 

This is the first Rossese di Dolceacqua that I have tasted.  So, I have no point of reference as to the typicity of this wine.  What I can say is that this wine with 8 years of age is drinking so well.  It is not a profound, complex wine.  But it is everything that you would want in a really solid any day drinker.  The wine is relatively deeply pigmented with spicy aromas of ripe bing cherries and a beguiling peppery undertone.  It is medium-bodied and structured on the palate.  There is a nice wash of acidity that coats the mid-palate, lending a freshness that might not be expected from a relatively inexpensive wine at this point in its evolution.  The finish lingers in the middle of the palate, which I thought was unusual.  But, it lingers, nonetheless.  This wine would typically be priced in the mid-30s.  We grabbed the last several cases for you to try at a very reasonable price of $25/Bottle.  Or less if you take advantage of the 3-bottle deal.  If you want to try something from a road less traveled, that is actually a really good wine, I think you will enjoy the experience, and the wine. 

Just across the French-Italian border from Nice, on the dramatically steep hillsides of western Liguria, Alessandro Anfosso farms Rossese in the Rossese di Dolceacqua DOC, representing the sixth generation of his family to cultivate this finicky grape that is capable of producing gorgeous wines. Markedly distinct from the Rosseses crafted by Punta Crena in the coastal Riviera Ligure di Ponente DOC, which are lighter and brighter, Anfosso’s Rosseses, made slightly inland on near-vertical rocky terraces, are darker, more structured, and charming in an altogether different way. The fruit—think cherries and strawberries—is more reserved, with smoke and stones sharing the stage. This wine pairs spectacularly with grilled and braised meats as well as a mushroom-based pasta or pizza.