2006 Bricco del Cucù "Bricco San Bernardo" Dogliani (Previously $19.99)

We met Dario Sciolla for the first time in Piedmont a few years ago and were very impressed with his wines. He hails from a little town called Bastia Mondovì about 16 miles south of Barolo in dolcetto country. Dario's family has been growing grapes here for generations, the vineyards surround the family home but Dario was the first to bottle wine. His winery is about as big as your garage, ok maybe slightly bigger, but his was built around the time Columbus was dodging hurricanes in the Caribbean. He drove us up the hill about a mile away to see his pride and joy, the stunning Bricco San Bernardo vineyard. Bricco is a Piemontese word for the top of the ridge and from this ridge the view of the Alps is unbelievable, you can literally see for 50 miles on a clear day. This ridge was a favorite of the Partisans during Italy's Civil War in the middle of WWII and today there is a chapel dedicated to all that lost their lives during WWII. The yields at San Bernardo are very low (for dolcetto) at 3 tons per acre. Dario has stainless steel tanks for fermentation but relies on 18 months of aging in big Slavonian oak for this wine. The San Bernardo is classic dolcetto - rich and broad on the palate. The wine is powerful, dark and full of exotic fruits with great balance and wonderful length! This is a wine for aged cheese, game or, best of all, lamb.