12:19 EST Thursday, February 18, 2010

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwire - Feb. 18, 2010) - Dorato Resources Inc. (TSX VENTURE:DRI)(FRANKFURT:DO5) -

Dorato Receives Additional Taricori Drill Results from Minera Afrodita

Intersects multiple zones of high grade gold mineralization - including gold grades of up to 15 oz/t (519g/t) gold over 1.22m

TAR 012 Intersect: 18.0m at 35.9 g/t gold and 46.97 g/t silver

Dorato Resources Inc. ("Dorato" or the "Company") (TSX VENTURE:DRI)(FRANKFURT:DO5) announces that Minera Afrodita has received notice from the Peruvian mining regulator (OSINERGMIN), that exploration and resource definition drilling in the Cordillera del Condor must be suspended immediately. The regulator has stated that the suspension will be in effect until Minera Afrodita presents evidence of its authorization to use the land where exploration works are being carried out. The Company believes, based on legal advice, that this reasoning has no legal basis. Dorato has a right to acquire 100% of Afrodita.

Suspension of Activities

The Peruvian government is stating that although Minera Afrodita has legitimate, long-standing mining claims and a valid drill permit, it does not own the surface rights and therefore cannot proceed with the previously permitted and officially endorsed drill program. The Company believes, based on legal advice, that this reasoning has no legal basis, as Minera Afrodita has only carried out exploration work on state-owned land, where such work is expressly authorized under Peruvian Mining Law pursuant to which no additional authorization is required.

The exploration authorization was granted to Minera Afrodita in December 2009, after having agreed with the local population, in a public assembly in the Santa Maria de Nieva town, the undertaking of exploration activities in the area. Minera Afrodita informed both the Ministry of Energy and Mines (MEM) and OSINERGMIN about the commencement of the exploration works on December 10, 2009. The notice to suspend activities, received by Minera Afrodita from OSINERGMIN has come more than two months after that formal notice was delivered.

The stance taken by the Peruvian mining regulator OSINERGMIN is fundamentally different to that taken with all other Peruvian-based mining and exploration companies and sends a negative message. The ruling will do nothing to control illegal mining operations being conducted on Peruvian national territory by non-Peruvian nationals - unregulated, illegal mining in neighbouring Ecuador has already caused serious environmental damage in that jurisdiction.

Dorato's involvement in the Cordillera Del Condor is based on the premise that the geological terrane hosting the world-class Fruta Del Norte and Mirador deposits in Ecuador, continues into the Peruvian territory, where Dorato has rights to acquire a 100% interest in 800 square kilometres of premium exploration ground. In Ecuador, the acquisition of resources discovered by junior exploration companies has totalled almost $2 Billion USD. Dorato management believes, and the results to date indicate, that the Peruvian territory has potential to host multiple significant to very significant base and precious mineral deposits of similar size and tenor to those discovered to date on the Ecuadoran side of the border. The potential discovery and subsequent production of such deposits would represent significant social and financial contributions at both the local and national levels in Peru.

Dorato has sought legal advice and will seek to utilize the full recourse of both national and inter-national law in order to protect its investments. The Company will be lodging official complaints with the Peruvian Consulate in Canada, the Canadian Foreign Office, the Canadian Consulate in Lima, with the highest levels of Peruvian government, and under the recently signed Canadian - Peruvian free-trade agreement.

Dorato has a right to acquire 100% of Minera Afrodita and all option agreements to acquire 100% interest in the properties remain intact. Tenure issued to Peruvian optionees remains in good standing and is not impacted by the suspension.

Drill Results

TAR-012 intersected 18.0m grading 35.9 g/t gold and 46.9 g/t silver. The mineralized structure is interpreted to be dipping south and the drillhole is angled north, being designed for an intersection normal to that structure - the drill core is not oriented and there is insufficient information to determine the precise dip of the structure, but the true thickness is interpreted to be in the range of 12-18m. A second intersection of 22.7m grading 3.39 g/t gold included 7.04m at 8.78 g/t gold. These intersections are considerably thicker and higher grade than those exposed by the illegal underground mining, where mine workings typically occur over 1-2 meters. The Minera Afrodita drilling therefore provides the first indication of the true size and grade potential at Taricori.

Table 1: Summary of Provisional Intersects Results(i): Platform 3         
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
      DRILLHOLE          FROM    TO   WIDTH        GOLD     SILVER    ZINC
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
TAR-012   Interval 1       16    34   18.0m   35.90 g/t   46.9 g/t   1.07%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
           including       20    34   14.0m   46.09 g/t   59.6 g/t   1.37%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
                 and     22.0 23.22   1.22m  519.35 g/t  574.9 g/t  10.95%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
          Interval 2     49.3  72.0  22.70m    3.39 g/t   16.2 g/t   0.96%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
           including    64.96  72.0   7.04m    8.78 g/t   22.7 g/t   1.39%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
                 and    64.96 65.91   0.95m   42.67 g/t   88.7 g/t   6.88%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
(i) using a cutoff of 0.25 g/t gold and allowing 4m of dilution
Intersect: The Au grades and intervals in Hole 12 are considered to be
           provisional as three samples that reported more than 30 g/t Au
           (by gravimetric fire assay) are currently being re-analysed by
           the metallic screen fire assay method in order to confirm their
           high grades.


Table 2: Summary of Intersections(i): Platform 1, 2 & 3                    
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
      DRILLHOLE            FROM     TO   WIDTH       GOLD     SILVER   ZINC
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
        Intersection 1     28.7   36.7    8.0m   0.70 g/t    3.0 g/t  0.02%
        -------------------------------------------------------------------
TAR 002 Intersection 2      316    328   12.0m   4.58 g/t    2.1 g/t  0.08%
        -------------------------------------------------------------------
             including      316    320    4.0m  12.81 g/t    3.7 g/t  0.04%
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
            Interval 1     42.8  44.25   1.45m   4.59 g/t   37.9 g/t  0.05%
        -------------------------------------------------------------------
            Interval 2     45.2  61.58  16.38m   1.89 g/t   57.9 g/t  1.73%
TAR 007 -------------------------------------------------------------------
             including     45.2   48.0    2.8m   3.49 g/t  126.3 g/t  0.08%
        -------------------------------------------------------------------
                   and    50.25   54.6   4.35m   3.12 g/t   88.8 g/t  0.49%
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
        Intersection 1     65.0  67.75   2.75m   2.78 g/t   47.9 g/t  4.24%
        -------------------------------------------------------------------
        Intersection 2    87.68  96.37   8.69m   3.29 g/t   61.0 g/t  1.75%
TAR 008 -------------------------------------------------------------------
             including    87.68  91.73   4.05m   1.70 g/t   16.5 g/t  1.20%
        -------------------------------------------------------------------
                   and    93.97  96.37   2.40m   8.42 g/t  187.7 g/t  3.75%
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
TAR 009 Intersection 1      4.8    8.5    3.7m   1.45 g/t    3.7 g/t  0.02%
        -------------------------------------------------------------------
        Intersection 2     43.5   49.5    6.0m   1.46 g/t    6.9 g/t  0.07%
        -------------------------------------------------------------------
             including     44.3   45.3    1.0m   7.19 g/t   11.7 g/t  0.01%
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
TAR 010             Drilled southward - no significant results             
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
        Intersection 1        0    3.0    3.0m   4.95 g/t    5.3 g/t  0.35%
        -------------------------------------------------------------------
TAR-011 Intersection 2    23.56   24.8   2.54m   4.14 g/t   18.4 g/t  0.72%
        -------------------------------------------------------------------
        Intersection 3    32.86  33.65   0.79m   8.34 g/t   35.6 g/t  2.14%
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(i) using a cutoff of 0.25 g/t gold and allowing 4m of dilution            

Final results for TAR-002 have now been received with 4.0m grading 12.81 g/t gold. The results extend high grade poly-sulphide veins 50m further west than was previously mapped. Mineralization in the wall rock is strong, grading 4.58 g/t gold over 12.0m - indicating bulk-tonnage potential.

Drillhole TAR-007 intersected a previously unknown illegal underground working. The void was 0.95m wide and no rock was recovered. The hanging wall sequence, immediately above the working grades 1.45m at 4.59 g/t gold and 27.8 g/t silver. The footwall intersection, immediately below the working grades 2.80m at 3.49 g/t gold and 126.3 g/t silver. The total aggregate thickness, including the underground working is 5.20m. However, the total grade cannot be established because the core portion of the vein has been mined out. Nevertheless the intercept is indiciatve of the well endowed nature of the Taricori system. The full footwall sequence underlying the working is 16.38m grading 1.9 g/t gold and 57.9 g/t silver, demonstrating robust wall-rock mineralization as well as the high-grade, poly-metallic sulphide veins.

Drillhole TAR-008 (oriented northward and drilled parallel to TAR-007) intersected 2.75m at 2.78 g/t gold and 47.9 g/t silver. A second intersection of 8.69m grading 3.29 g/t gold and 61 g/t silver included 4.05m at 1.70 g/t gold (16.5 g/t silver) and 2.40m grading 8.42 g/t gold and 187.7 g/t silver.

Based on results to date, grade appears to be increasing eastward and suggests the gold and silver bearing system has significant size potential. Prior to the current illegal temporary suspension of drill activities Minera Afrodita had planned a continued and aggressive exploration and resource definition program to test this concept in addition to establishing the bulk-tonnage copper - gold potential of the intrusive related Lucero and Cobrecon systems where exploration to date has outlined two large to very large copper - gold bearing systems.

Cordillera Del Condor Background

The Cordillera Del Condor District has been one of the most important gold-bearing areas in Ecuador and Peru since pre-Incan times. On the Ecuador side of the border, historical small-scale but high-grade, gold production is reported to have exceeded 100,000 ozs. per year.

Modern exploration on the Ecuadorian side of the border has recently resulted in the discovery of multiple world-class gold and base metal-bearing deposits, such as Kinross Gold Corp's Fruta del Norte Gold deposit (inferred resources; 13.6 million ounces gold at 7.23 g/t gold), Corriente Resources Inc.'s Mirador Copper-Gold porphyry deposit (measured & indicated; 438 million tonnes at 0.61% copper, 0.19 g/t gold, and inferred resources 235 million tonnes at 0.52% copper, 0.17 g/t gold) and the Mirador Norte Copper-Gold porphyry deposit (indicated 171 million tonnes at 0.51% copper, 0.09 g/t gold; inferred 46 million tonnes at 0.51% copper, 0.07 g/t gold), and Dynasty Metals & Mining Inc's Jerusalem Gold deposit in the Chinapintza district (measured & indicated; 0.58 million ounces gold at 12.4 g/t gold, inferred; 0.71 million ounces at 11.5 g/t gold). The technical information with respect to the above deposits was obtained through the respective companies' public disclosure documents available on SEDAR.