Morovino Winery

2009 Dolcetto
Smooth & Strong
SOLD OUT :(

Mrs. Vino is VERY sad that it’s time to say good bye to the incredible 2009 Dolcetto!  She loves all her wine children equally – but there’s something about the wine that brought you your first Double Gold Medal!  This is the wine that proves that a wine can be big and bold without bite!  It’s a bit bolder and a bit more intense than many of our easy-drinking reds.  It’s rich and . . . velvety – really that’s the only word we have to describe it.  It flows across your palate like warm velvet.  This smooth yet bold Dolcetto is well balanced and slightly jammy with dense blackberry/blueberry fruit and mocha notes complemented by a strong tannin backbone.  It is a great wine to pair with rich meats or slow-simmered dishes (If you like game meat, this is your wine).  Yet it is also perfect with a flourless chocolate torte (it’s a multi-tasker!).  Try it with our favorite recipe for Lamb Shanks done in the slow cooker (below).

AWARDS

Double Gold Medal (Morovino’s First Ever) – 2011 International Women’s Wine Competition
Best of Class (Other Red Varietal) – 2011 International Women’s Wine Competition
Double Gold Medal – 2012 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition

GEEK SPEAK

Alcohol:  15%
Residual Sugar:  0.8%
pH:  3.5
Brix at Harvest:  26

BEST-EVER EZ LAMB SHANKS
Make with a dry red wine and serve with 2009 Dolcetto

2 lamb shanks (about 3 lbs)
1 onion, diced
1 14.5 oz can crushed tomatoes and juice
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes with onion and garlic
½ lemon thinly sliced (vvvveeerrrrryyyy thinly – use your Mandoline if you have one)
1 c. dry red wine (you could use the Dolcetto, but it would make me cry.  Use a good dry red table wine.)
3 3” sprigs of fresh rosemary
¼ t. salt
¼ t. black pepper
1 T Worcestershire sauce
6 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced lengthwise (slivered)
4 bay leaves

This a Vino-licious slow cooker dish!  Strip the leaves off 2 sprigs of rosemary and roughly chop.  Put the onion, red wine, rosemary, salt, pepper, garlic and bay in the crock of your slow cooker (should be at least a 5-quart model).  Place the lamb shanks on top (put them in with their little legs crossed – so they look like the crossbones of a skull and crossbones).  Pour the cans of tomatoes on top of the shanks.  Place the lemon slices on top of the tomato. Drizzle the Worcestershire sauce on top.  Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 6 hours.  Just before serving, strip the leaves off the 3^rd sprig of Rosemary and add to the crock pot.

You can serve this a couple of ways.  Caveman style – just put the whole shank on the dinner plate with a side of yummy baked polenta (recipe on morovino.com website).  Or, my new fave way to serve.  Pull the shanks out and put them on your cutting board.  Carefully strip the meat off the shank bones and give it a rough chop.  Remove the bay leaves from the gravy/juice/liquid-goodness.  Take 2 slices of country bread (Try it with Costco Roasted Garlic Sourdough).  Toast the bread and put it on your dinner plate.  Put big scoops of the meat on top of the toasted bread.  Put scoops of the juice from the slow cooker on top of the meat.  Heaven!