Apples, they say, don’t fall far from their trees, and five minutes with Carlo Mondavi will confirm that the same applies to grapes.  Carlo is very much like his dad Tim, and there’s an awful lot of his famous grandfather in there too!  And that’s all a good thing.  The passion for farming and winemaking burns hot in the Mondavi DNA and Carlo, whether he’s in California with his brother Dante making RAEN Pinot Noir in the wilds of Freestone on the Sonoma Coast, working on Monarch, his electric tractor project in Livermore or with his now brand new wife Giovanna Bagnasco on a raw, steep wild flower-strewn slope in Diano d’Alba, just about a quarter mile as the crow flies from Barolo castle.  This latter project, the couple’s literal ‘labor of love,’ was created when Giovanna, who, with her sister, runs the dynamic Brandini estate in the La Morra district of Barolo, introduced Carlo to an old vineyard site planted to Dolcetto and Nebbiolo in Diano, right on the edge of the designated Barolo growing zone.  They saw magic in those vines and decided to make it their lives’ work to turn it into something lasting and unique.  And they have!  With an eye towards truly holistic growing and winemaking, they set about applying both organic and biodynamic principals in both renovating the vineyard and in the cellar at Brandini where they made the wine.  Solo Per Amore ‘for the love of it’ pays homage to the incredible history of the area, and our steep and rocky soils of limestone, clay and sand in the beautiful amphitheater where their vines grow. Made from old vine Dolcetto and Nebbiolo, it’s fragrant with cherry confit with nuances of blood orange, black tea, anise-y herbal notes and a nice bit of loamy earth.  There was an intriguing blue fruit character I found intriguing and the internal energy of the wine was impressive.  We had it with a spicy tofu dish one night and finished it alongside ‘Uncle Mike’s famous anchovy oil pizza.’  So good!