THE VINEYARDS

The name "cru" indicates a specific vineyard with certain conditions of climate and soil from which a wine with particular and recognizable characteristics is produced. The special qualities of these cru have always been known instinctively and traditionally by those working the land or trading the grapes, long before they were officially defined through geological analysis and careful studies. It is important that the place-names identified with these areas remain unchanged and solidly anchored to this unique territory. We of Dogliani are so familiar with these special parcels of land that we sometimes take them for granted, forgetting their worth and importance much in the same way that we all take for granted the air that we breathe and the beating of our hearts.
In issue number 11 of the magazine Enogea, editor and publisher Alessandro Masnaghetti published an initial classification of the most remarkable vineyards of the Dolcetto di Dogliani territory, along with a description of the macro-zone they are located in. In the following sections on Dogliani's sub-zones, we give a summary of Masnaghetti's article, whose aim was to provide preliminary information on the different cru, a valuable starting point for any further investigation or research into the special aptitude of this area for growing Dolcetto.
This classification, however, has no regulatory or legislative value (unlike the French "classement"), and does not necessarily correspond to the vineyards listed in the DOCG registry. Enrolment in the restrictive DOCG registry must be requested by individual winemakers and is not automatically granted to all those vineyards belonging to a particularly prestigious production area. Therefore, not all the vineyards indicated in this classification produce DOCG wines, but DOCG vineyards are very likely to be included sub-zones.