01.26.07 NV Marietta Old Vine Red Lot # 44

Courtenay and I went to Brooklyn last night to have dinner with our friends Clara and Aaron. We ate a Jack the Horse Tavern which is in their neighborhood and Aaron has been raving about for the last few months. The vibe was good and the food was tasty. The service was a little spotty, but we were a table of six (no excuses). Our cocktails too awhile, and they came out two at a time. Our apps came out the same way. We had a fantastic time. Jay joined us while Jayma was at a bachelorette party and our friend Saman also broke the bread - she had the mussels which were fantastic.

Aaron and I order hangar steaks and I chose the Marietta as a pairing. I have had their more expensive wines, and have always found them delish. This Old Vine Lot 44 was about $34 on their list, but should have been a lot less (in my mind). Their list was not the best and didn't have anything exciting on it. The Marietta kind of sucked. It had very little character, and sweet notes of Zinfandel, but nothing interesting.

To follow it up, I got a little adventurous and order a Bordeaux blend from Virginia. I asked out waiter if he had tried it - at first he said no, then yes and that is was great. We got it about ten minutes later. I thought it might be corked - but I called a wine corked last week that wasn't - so I let it ride. Jay took a sip and said yes, it is corked. I called the waiter back to ask if this was how the wine should drink. He didn't know, but cleared all the glasses, and brought the list back a good 7 to 10 minutes later. By this time, we were done eating and did not want any more wine. Now with good, timely service, we probably would have had another bottle or two - but there you go.

We had a wonderful time with our friends, had a round of cocktails and a round of after dinner drinks. Court and I had to go back to CT, but they continued the party, as they are city dwellers.