Dolcetto in Da House - Parusso Dolcetto d'Alba Piani Noce 2014

I've been away for a long time. When you lose someone you love, you eventually go on with your life. But there are certain things that kind of get pushed aside. Inspiration to write about wine is one of the things I lost interest in when I lost my sweetheart Janet. We shared almost every wine that I've written about on this blog. So opening bottles on my own didn't really inspire me to write.

Well, I think it's time to get back to it. Tonight my daughter and I shared this wonderful example of the most important everyday wine from Piedmont - The Parusso Dolcetto d'Alba Piani Noce. It's been said that the producers of Piedmont make Barolo and Barbaresco, but they drink Dolcetto. It's no doubt one of those sayings that is only partially true, but it sounds good. Nebbiolo, the grape which makes the aforementioned and long-lived Barolo and Barbaresco, and Barbera are more important grapes in the zone. Good Dolcetto can also be very good but the styles can vary widely. Some are more purely fruity while others bring more complexity. This Dolcetto is a wonderful example of the latter with it's floral, fruity and minerally everyday profile.

This amazing value gives forth beautiful aromas of fresh raspberry, supported by notes of violets, herbs and minerals. It's medium bodied flavors bring red berry flavors that are enhanced by the herbal and mineral notes, and livened by fresh acidity. The grapes are grown at around 1,000 ft. in altitude and they are harvested by hand. In the cellar the fermentation takes place in stainless steel with only the yeast that is present on the grapes. The wine rests on its lees for a time when the fermentation is done. This beauty went perfectly with a Tuscan grilled chicken that I marinated all day in olive oil, lime juice, rosemary, garlic, salt and pepper. It cost me a miserly $12.99. It's imported by Regal, a wonderful small importer. All the best and cheers!

Parusso Rosato "Paruss" 2011

The Armando Parusso Estate in Monforte d'Alba, Italy is one of the most well known and highly regarded wineries in Piedmont. Known for their high end Barolos made from the Nebbiolo grape, they have been turning out world class wines for a long time. Nebbiolo is absolutely one of my favorite grapes and can be found not only as Barolo, but as Barbaresco and the entry level Nebbiolo d'Alba as well. It's also found in the wines of more out of the way places such as Ghemme and Carema as well.

Here however, we focus on the everyday wine for everyday consumption so when Nebbiolo roses started showing up on retailer's shelves a few years ago, I took note. This summer has been brutally hot here on the east coast and we have been drinking a lot of chilled wine. The Nebbiolo rose called "Paruss" from the Parusso estate is a fantastic $11.99 value. It's got big aromas of watermelon and light red berries along with floral and mineral notes. The flavors are just as big with the berries in the lead, notes of honey and a slight peppery quality. The bright, balancing acidity makes this a great food wine. Imported by Montecastelli, don't hesitate to pick up a bottle of this great summer quaffer. We drank this with a fantastic Mario Batali dish - chicken thighs with saffron, green olives and mint. Cheers.