A little background on Dôle. It's not the name of a grape, it's the name of the wine. Primarily made with Pinot Noir grapes, there is also some Gamay blended in. Yes, our little friend Gamay that is synonymous with Beaujolais. Some of you will say... comment? pourquoi would you mix Pinot Noir with anything, let alone Gamay?For starters, the French have been doing it for 100's of years. Sometimes you'll even see a bottle here; it's called Passetoutgrains (meaning literally, press all grapes). Pinot Noir is found in Burgunday, and Gamay is the starring grape in the Beaujolais region due South.
Back to Switzerland. This wine is from the Valais region, in the southwestern part of the country. Can't visualize... it's right above Northwest Italy. Not surprisingly some of the same grapes like Pinot Noir and Petit Arvine grow well on both sides of these Alps. At any rate, the famous Rhone river flows east to west through the valley creating steep slopes that equal awesome in wine growing terms. It allows for maximum sun exposure in a place that can often be a little chilly. I just got an image of a St. Bernard and a chalet.
This wine totally tastes like you think a blend of Gamay and Pinot Noir would taste. It has a medium body, a brambly, cherry, and somewhat burnt molasses nose, and on the palate there is an earthiness, a slight bitterness and a big burst of black cherry. It's the perfect harmony of the these two grapes. I'm just not sure I want to drink a blend of these two grapes. This Dôle was about $24 and I think I would have preferred an Oregon Pinot Noir or a Beaujolais Cru for that amount of money. The novelty factor was very enjoyable and it made me happy to support the Swiss wine industry. I know that there are amazing Swiss wines out there, and I will be happy to drink them when I find them!
nose: burnt sugar, boysenberry, black cherry
palate: lean and high in acid, earthy and minerally, black cherry
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