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