INSIDER'S PICK: 2018 ANNA MARIA ABBONA DOGLIANI SUPERIORE 'MAIOLI' $25.99

Even though we will not be doing the public tasting portion of the Insider's Pick until further notice, we will still be offering the wine for purchase with the usual 10% discount on Thursday and Friday. The wines will still be ones we highly recommend, and the tasting notes will still be our own. We will be returning to doing just the one wine on Thursdays and Fridays until further notice. We hope you are able to come by and get some wines to enjoy.

Hope everyone out there is safe and warm after Monday's big snow, especially with another round coming on its heels soon. Now is a good time to make your 'comfort foods' for your family and friends, hearty warming dishes that usually aren't complicated or use exotic ingredients, just happy fuel for the body and soul (and often the leftovers keep going for days afterwards). One of the better grape varieties for these types of dishes is Dolcetto, best known from the Piedmont in Italy as the general workhorse grape while Nebbiolo and Barbera get most of the high praise. Dogliani, which sits just South of Barolo, is in fact the only area that elevates Dolcetto above the others, having made it the featured grape in their DOCG status. This is a single site bottling from a newly available producer to us, and is just about the pinnacle of what we have tasted for Dolcetto. Deep in color with initial aromas of dark plums and savory black skinned fruit, with some dusty spice and worn leathery tones showing as it opens. Fairly sturdy on the palate (a sign it should evolve decently over time) but not rough or chewy in texture as some of the more basic Dolcettos can get, allowing the fruit to have flesh and intensity on the palate and a deep dry finish. This is just begging to go with a rich meaty stew, mushroom-y stroganoff, or- my favorite- a home made lasagna.

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