Vinoteca, A Tuscany Wine Bar
361 Village Square Lane
Castle Rock, CO 80118
Ph. 303-660-3106
Grade - A
La Dolce Vita restaurant in Castle Pines had a problem. They got too popular and there was no place for people to stand or sit while waiting to get in. Ignazio "Nat" Mullei, Dolce Vita's owner, had a solution. A store two doors down became available and the Mullei family took it. This became
Vinoteca, a Tuscany wine bar and what a world it is.
Michael Mullei, Nat's son, had spent years laboring in the family business that eventually became La Dolce Vita. He wanted to make Vinoteca his own. His father agreed if Michael would become a master of wine. He enrolled in Somellier school and learned the fine points of wine, including wine making and the culinary arts. He was ready.
Vinoteca opened in July of 2006 with a quiet expectation. La Dolce Vita's customers knew about the upcoming wine bar but few others were made privy. It opened with a bang. When we visited Vinoteca, Michael showed us what he had learned. He carefully opened a bottle of
Forgiarin, an amazing red, Italian wine. He then told us the story of this wine.
In the region of Forgaria Italy, Emilio Bulfon "the archaeologist of the vitigni native" began the recovery of an old abandoned vineyard along the Western Friuli. His search of old records from the Agrarian Association of Udine showed the vineyard areas along the Saint Daniel river, including the abandoned vineyard, was in full production in 1863. When Bulfon began the process of clearing the accumulated brush from the abandoned vineyard, he discovered the grape vines were still intact although uncultivated. Bulfon recovered the ancient native Friulian vines that until recently seemed to have been lost by undergrowth and human neglect. The old vines made great wine.
The end result is a deep, red wine full of complexity and battling flavors and aromas. Michael said that Sommeliers from all over the world travel to Forgaria to visit the Bulfon vineyard. You can find many "old vine" wines in a good wine store, but the Forgiarin has them all beat and none is even close.
Vinoteca serves Italian delicacies and other "Antipasti" personally selected by Chef Ken Benton of La Dolce Vita. Many parties come to Vinoteca for an appetizer and then go to La Dolce Vita for dinner, returning to Vinoteca for a night cap. What a great way to enjoy life in Castle Pines! To see a streaming video of Vinoteca, go to
Signature Dishes of Colorado's web site.