Oct 042009
 

Recently Gabriele and I returned to Bonefish in Kingstowne for a nice dinner. We have eaten there a few times, and each time we’ve been pleased with the food.

The first time we went there, we found a very nice tasty Pinot Noir — in fact, I talked about it in the very first post on this blog.

Unfortunately, the 2007 Bridgeview Blue Moon wasn’t nearly as good as the 2006 we enjoyed that first evening.  Bonefish doesn’t have a large wine list, so unless they were pouring a 2008 Bridgeview that we liked I wasn’t anticipating having a new wine to blog on. But our server told us he had something off the menu that we would like.

He brought out a 2007 Mossback Pinot Noir, and highly recommended we have it with our meals. I like a strong suggestion from a server, so we did. It was very nice — soft, flavorable aroma that leads to a very drinkable wine. It was soft but not thin, with strong black cherry fruit with a touch of creaminess on the finish. The wine lingered on the palate longer than most Pinots. Very good – if you go to Bonefish in Alexandria suggest you ask for it. Retails for about $25.

A few other wines we’ve found in the past couple of months. Do you someone who says they hate Chianti? Gabriele was not a fan, having had some poor ones in the past. We recently found a winner at Total Wine, the Massanera Chianti Classico 2006, $17 retail. Very smooth wine, not thin at all, slight pucker on the finish. It will be a hit with those who don’t like big, huge reds and who don’t think they like Chianti.

Another winner was the 2006 Veramonte Primus, a Chilean blend. It combines Cabernet, Syrah, Merlot and Carmenere. It’s a big, bold wine that feels full in your mouth, inky in color and with a long finish. It tastes a lot more expensive than it is; we paid $24 in DC but can be found for less.

Finally, after all the GSMs we’ve been drinking I’m happy to write about a nice, affordable Rhone. It is the 2004 Feraud Brunel Cotes du Rhone Rasteau. A blend of Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre and Cinsault, it’s sharp but fruity, tart and very balanced. $21 at Total Wine. It passed the toughest test for a French wine — Gabriele liked it!

So if you’re looking to try some new wine this fall, give these a try. I hope you enjoy them as much as we did. And if you don’t, drop me a comment!

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