2006 Elio Grasso Dolcetto D'Alba ... 15.99

   I may have mentioned this before and I apologize if I am being redundant but it is not always easy finding a pick of the month. It isn't like I don't get to try wines. In fact, January was a great tasting month for me. I caught up on a lot of homework and took loads of notes. The only problem is that I did not get hit in the face with a wine that I thought was worthy for the pick of February. I am not trying to be self-righteous, I just take this responsibility that I brought upon myself seriously. I want the person who reads my pick to be satisfied with the purchase that they make on my recommendation. I mean, who wants to waste their money on a mediocre wine? Certainly not me. I was getting a little worried and thought I might have to go back in my notes and see if there was something I missed until... Wham! I was hit in the face. I met with Karen, a good friend of mine and a wine rep. to taste some wines for an upcoming tasting event at the Mullis Center. She brought along this little Dolcetto and I was really impressed with it. Dolcetto can be a tough sale because many folks have not heard of it and do not know what they are getting into. Dolcetto is a grape grown in Northern Italy, Piedmont to be exact. It is grown in and around the town of Alba (thus the D'Alba name). The grape itself produces a softer more approachable red then the nebbiolo grape grown in the same area. Dolcetto is one of the favorite everyday reds that grace the table of the folks in that region. This wine shows a wonderful dark fruit bouquet with whiffs of vanilla on the back end. The color is a medium burgundy. Very smooth and sexy on the palate with blackberry, red currants and spice that coat the mouth into a bright mouth-watering finish that lingers for some time leaving you with hints of bittersweet chocolate on the sides of your mouth. This wine is wonderful all by itself but would be a perfect marriage with some blue cheese, lamb, spare ribs or a big juicy blue cheese hamburger with bacon. If you haven't tried a dolcetto, this would be a great place to start. The price is right and the wine is fantastic.   90 points

I had a good feeling about this event as it approached. "Best wines with Pizza" sounded fun and educational. Dave from Kings Deli and my son put their heads together and made some outstanding pizza for the event. I am not sure if it was the wine or the pizza that was most popular... I believe it was the pizza! The wines that were selected by Ted Seifert of Unique Wines turned out to be both excellent in quality and value. They also matched up nicely with the food, which of course was the purpose. A shout out to Tanya who helped serve the wine for the second month in a row. Thank You very much. The crowd was the largest to date and we all had a good time. Here is my review of the wines served and some insight as to what was the favorite of the tasters at the event.

A blend of 90% Inzolia and 10% Catarotto this was a brilliant, refreshing little white that totally caught me off guard. I was expecting a bone dry almost boring white that would be a nice little quafer for someone while they were cooking the pizza. Wow was I wrong. This had a load of gooseberry on the palate with refreshing hints of grapefruit. I found this white both delicious and versatile. Great by itself but certainly capable of matching up with seafood or sushi. 90 points

The crowd as a whole liked this wine and it came in second over-all as far as orders go for the whites.

I have always been a fan of the Oak Grove line of wines but especially this viognier. It shows that incredible floral and fruity nose that is so common for this varietal. It strikes a nice balance of fruit and acidity not going over-the-top. Lots of peach and apricot on the palate with nice viscosity that is not heavy. This is a very well made white for next to nothing. If you haven’t tried viognier and would like to, this would be a good place to start. 88 points

I believe most of those in attendance were impressed with the quality of this wine for the price, a great qpr. All of the whites were well received and many took advantage of the great price offered on this wine.

This obscure grape variety was new to me, and I was impressed. All I could think of when I tried this white was Bananas Foster. No kidding, that is what it tasted like at least to me. So if you like that flavor profile, this is the wine for you. I liked it myself and I thought it was well balanced with a pleasing finish. 88 points

This was the biggest hit with the tasters and I got a lot of good feedback from everyone. Both the Colossi and the Passerina will be a fixture in the store this summer. I already carry the Oak Grove viognier and it is quite popular.

Cartlidge & Browne produces some outstanding values so I was looking forward to trying the zinfandel for the first time. I am a zinfandel nut, I love the stuff and think that it is a nice match for a diversity of dishes from the Thanksgiving meal to... well, PIZZA! I liked this wine but not as much as those that attended. It had some nice raspberry and black licorice notes but was a little too hot (alcohol) for me. I also felt it lacked in the spice department which is one of the elements I look for in a good zin. (That is a good zin for my palate). Like I mentioned, the crowd liked it overall and many took advantage of the great price offered. 87 points

I personally was blown away by this wine! A bunch of the wines that I have tasted from this region have been delicious and I was expecting a nice little quafer. This wine delivered quite a few interesting taste profiles. The nose exhibited some soft dark fruit notes. On the palate there was wonderful dark fruit notes... boysenberries and dark cherries with some black currant undertones that were intermingled with some wonderful dusted milk and dark chocolate tones wound in silky soft tannins that were far from flabby. This wine is well integrated and finishes very nicely and lingers a lot longer then you might expect. A wonderful value and a great experience. 91 points.

All the tasters raved about this wine with only a couple of dissenters. You will see this one at Kings on a regular basis.

This was a nice surprise and one that Paul Gregott of the Seattle Times gave a nice rating. I am not always in agreement with Paul but this time he was spot on. A very nice syrah with blueberry and plum notes backed by hints of bacon fat. The tannins were soft but there was enough acidity to make this wine match up well with food. 88 points

The tasters liked it over-all and I think some were a little suspicious of the price. Trust me when I say this is a great Q.P.R. wine.

When it comes to pizza, this wine was all over it. Green bell peppers and bright cherry tones dominated this sangiovese, merlot blend. This wine had good acid and a slight tannic grip on the finish. I loved this wine and thought it was a refreshing change from many of the fruit bombs that are served up on a daily basis. 88 points

That being said, it was not a huge hit with the group although many did come to me to tell me they were impressed with the wine.

I love Spanish reds or whites and I was looking forward to this one. I have had this one in the past and was impressed by it. This one did not do a whole lot for me however. It had a earthy, funky nose that got me kind of excited. The palate was unimpressive with cola-cherry flavors dominating the palate. The finish was a little funky and thin. 86 points

A lot of the tasters loved this wine which simply proves the point I am always trying to make; the wine is all about the individual. What is good to you is good wine. My job is simply to tell you what I think and help you find a wine that I believe you will like.

I thought this was a nice little red. Very simple but effective. Unoaked, this wine showed some nice bright cherry and cedar tones. The tannins were fresh and vibrant and the wine was youthful and exuberant . For the price, I thought this would make the perfect pizza, burger or spaghetti red. 88 points

This wine got mixed reviews from the crowd. Some loved it, and others were not impressed. Such is the world of wine.

Every once in awhile you run into a wine that simply blows you away. This wine was a mind blower. Very rich and fat on the palate without being over-the-top fruit. Nice smoke and plum notes on silky tannins with bacon fat notes laced throughout the wine. The tannins were sweet and well balanced. Do not get me wrong, this wine is not sweet but very hedonistic. Some people may be turned off by this wine but I loved it. 89 points

This wine was a big hit, period! No surprise here.

I was looking forward to trying this wine from southern Rhone simply because it was an ‘07 which is the vintage that is getting all the press. A blend of grenache, syrah and mouvedre this wine had some nice earth tones with plum, boysenberry and spice notes. I felt it was just a tad to generic for a wine from this region so I was not so excited by it. Soft and easy to drink there was no flaws, but there was also no pizzaz! 87 points.

Many of the tasters found this wine to be very good. I agree that it is a user friendly wine and would be great to serve to guests. No one would be offended by it and it is a perfect time to talk about the great ‘07 vintage that Southern Rhone experienced.

I personally requested that this wine be served at this event. I love this wine and felt that it would be a great match with pizza. Very robust yet approachable. Nice dusty tannins with serious cherry and cedar tones that explode on the palate and vibrate on the excellent acidity that will make this wine good for the cellar for the next five years. This is ‘Old World" wine with a "New World" edge. 91 points

The crowd loved this wine for all the reasons I did. Many asked what my favorite wine was for the event and I was tossed between this one and the Buried Cane Syrah. The Damilano won by and edge.

This kitchen sink red, being primarily zinfandel was quite impressive. Jammy yet restrained, it showed boysenberry, black currant, black raspberry and black pepper notes. The wine was rich without being too ripe. I was truly impressed with this wine and it was in my top three of favorite wines at the tasting. 89 points

This was the most popular wine at the event. Many came back for up to a third time to give it another taste.

All in All it was a very successful night and everyone had a great time. Next month is the second annual... "Fifteen Wines Under Fifteen Bucks in February." I believe this will be just as successful and educational. Till the next one, happy tasting. Stan