Rarely grown outside of Italy, the Buoncristiani Brothers have two sources for their Dolcetto: a small vineyard that they manage in Yountville and the outstanding Unti Vineyard in Dry Creek. The best wines are made in the vineyard and with Dolcetto this is especially true. The typical large crop set by Dolcetto is thinned to one cluster per shoot and the huge clusters that remain are trimmed to half their size to achieve cluster uniformity and concentration of varietal flavor. Following harvest, lots are cold soaked for two days, then fermentation is initiated slowly with an Italian yeast strain that was isolated from a Piedmont vineyard. During fermentation the cap is punched five times a day, extracting the rich flavor, color, and tannin from the thick skins. The small batches were kept separate during fermentation, after pressing, and throughout the first year of aging in French oak barrels. During the second year of barrel aging, the vineyard components were blended together to create optimum complexity while retaining balance, varietal character, and superior quality.