SOIL – Bottega del vino Dolcetto di Dogliani

THE SOIL AND THE VINEYARD
Looking out on the tidy rows of vines, all we can really see are the branches and leaves growing towards the sky and the trunk and bark closer to the earth. However, much of the plant’s vital existence is underground. Far from being just a simple, inanimate support, the earth, in the composition of its soil, the quality of its minerals, its capacity to heat and cool itself, and in its wealth of microorganisms, defines the place where the vine sinks its roots, often meters deep, and greatly determines its characteristics. In soils with different components, the vine will react, agronomically and organoleptically, in different ways.

70 percent of vine roots operate within a depth of 50 centimetres and this is therefore the part of the soil which influences the quality of the grape the most. Naturally, an older plant is able to explore the soil at a greater depth and highlight the characteristics of the deeper layer, adding more complexity to the wine. Dolcetto, sensitive as it is to all the element that affect its existence, is even more so where soil is concerned. There are very few areas where this grape manages to find its balance, and many areas, on the other hand, where the berries fall off the vine just a few weeks before ripening fully, due to an excess in humidity or soil compaction.
THE SOIL AND THE VINEYARD
In sandy soils, which are not common in the area, Dolcetto will germinate early, thanks to the warming of its roots, but will also feel the earth's cooling, caused by spring or late summer rains, more strongly than it would in other soil types. The wines produced from these soils will have a good amount of colour, rich fragrances and will sometimes have more aggressive tannins.
SANDY SOILS
In silty-clayey soils, the most common in the area, the thin layer of earth causes the interruption of vine dormancy to occur more gradually, but also slows down the roots' reaction to adverse climatic conditions. The temperatures of the soil will be more constant and heating and cooling will be more gradual.
SILTY-CLAYEY SOILS
A Dolcetto grown in rich red clay will be stronger than one grown in thinner, lighter coloured clayey soil, but will be more at risk in terms of early ripening and berry dropping. In the past, in order to prevent this, farmers would plant Barbera instead of Dolcetto since it adapts better to this type of soil.
CLAYEY SOILS
Dogliani is fortunate in having soil types with a special aptitude and affinity for growing Dolcetto. They are calcareous soils with an alkaline-sub-alkaline reaction, where silty-clayey layers alternate with sandy layers that, in certain areas, contain more or less iron oxide and more or less calcium carbonate, elements which have an immediate and characterizing effect on the production of the grapes.
CALCAREOUS SOILS

GEOLOGY
The land also tells a tale of the origins and the formation of the place we live in, a tale that plays a crucial role in giving the grape its uniqueness. The geology of an area not only explains the components of the soil, the quantity of sand, lime, clay, iron or calcium, but also its orography and layout, the way the hills are formed and positioned. For example, in the Langhe, where today there are vineyards there was once a sea.

The Langhe hills were formed by the uplifting of the seabed 50 million years ago, during the Tertiary period that followed the tectonic collision of the African plate with Eurasia. These movements created a series of inland seas and caused land to emerge. However, the final surfacing of the Langhe hills occurred 15 million years ago after a series of tectonic movements associated with the birth of the Apennine mountain range pushed the ancient sedimentary layers of the sea bottom upwards and tilted towards the north-west. These sediments were later eroded by surface water, shaping them into their current state.
THE BOTTOM OF AN ANCIENT SEA
These lands originate from the stratification of sandstone and marl sediments that were deposited by turbid currents on the bottom of the Langhe sea basin, also known as the Piedmontese Tertiary basin. Alluvial deposits from the Quaternary, or Neozoic period, were also left here and there like leopard spots throughout the territory. These deposits are more recent and have not yet been eroded so their depths can vary depending on the exposure and slope of the land. The area of Dogliani is located along the western margin of the Langhe and is a geological demarcation zone, with steep slopes towards the east and gentler slopes facing northwest formed by the upward movement of clear soils with occasional layers of sandstone mixed with clay.
The Piedmontese Tertiary Basin
Besides the tectonic movements that raised the hills, the principle factor that shaped the landscape into its present condition was the seasonal erosion by the Rea River and its tributaries. These waterways determined the depth of the valleys and created debris cones in the direction of Farigliano. However, the largest influence came from the Tanaro River which flowed northward up until 100,000 years ago. As an effect of the erosion of smaller waterways, the Tanaro was then “caught” in the flow of one of these, changing its course to the northeast, towards Alessandria. The new riverbed of the Tanaro was deeper and, as a result, its flow gained speed and its erosive force on the bordering hills and banks became greater, eventually creating the gorges that characterize the area of Dogliani.
TUFF AND SEDIMENTATION PROFILES
Besides the tectonic movements that raised the hills, the principle factor that shaped the landscape into its present condition was the seasonal erosion by the Rea River and its tributaries. These waterways determined the depth of the valleys and created debris cones in the direction of Farigliano. However, the largest influence came from the Tanaro River which flowed northward up until 100,000 years ago. As an effect of the erosion of smaller waterways, the Tanaro was then “caught” in the flow of one of these, changing its course to the northeast, towards Alessandria. The new riverbed of the Tanaro was deeper and, as a result, its flow gained speed and its erosive force on the bordering hills and banks became greater, eventually creating the gorges that characterize the area of Dogliani.
THE EROSIVE ACTION OF THE TANARO
The lands where Dolcetto grows were formed during the Miocene Period and are made up of the geological plains named “Tortoniano”, “Serravalliano” and “Langhiano”. These are part of the FORMATIONS OF LEQUIO that spread mostly to the right of the Rea and produce structured, long-aging wines. They are made of sand mixed, at times, with a reddish-yellow sandstone. They have a wavy and parallel lamination pattern that shows the signs of the current and comes in layers of 10 to 50 centimetres that sporadically alternate with layers of grey silty marl of 5 to 40 centimetres. Found in many areas to the left of the Rea River, instead, are the FROMATIONS OF MURAZZANO, characterized by older ash-grey marl and associated with wines with a great finesse in their aromas and tannic structure.
GEOLOGICAL FORMATIONS