Sometimes you get highs and lows in close proximity . Winewise, this
was such a week. The low: in Millburn, NJ for a show at their playhouse,
we stopped for dinner at an Italian place called Basilico. Turns out that
NJ law apparently (?) allows restaurants without wine licenses to sell
wine... but only New Jersey wine.

Wow. So our choices are "cabernet, chardonnay, or pink." I figured I
shouldn't scoff too loudly before trying; I was wrong - the cabernet was
barely bearable to have on the table, but the white zin they replaced it
with was not. Only wine I've ever encountered where none of the four of
us were even willing to sip: not just sewage, but apparently untreated sewage.

Ahem.

Moving on - and up! - we were in DC this past weekend, and (after some
very disappointing and expensive sushi the previous night) I was in the
mood for a steak; so we decided to attempt taking Aidan - our 3.5 year-old
- to Ruth's Chris. The Crystal City location is great: overlooking the
Potomac, National airport, with the Mall in the distance. And Aidan was
really good - so much so that he got to eat ice cream for dinner. Anyway
- on the wine list (which was really pretty good) was a half bottle of
Shafer Merlot, '03; $41 is a little pricy in absolute terms but seemed
decent for Shafer. Glorious, and went through four stages (massive
initial hit - five minutes of closed and thin - opening with tannins
coming through - full and so smooth) very rapidly, so fun to be drinking
also. I am going to go out and find a lot more of this stuff.

The next night, we were in the mood for more of the same, but the venue -
Arlington's Evening Star Cafe - only carried the Hillside Select and were
out of that. So the owner (shop recommended even on initial exposure, btw
- friendly, welcoming, lots of people standing around drinking, seemed
knowledgeable) suggested a new Argentinian merlot which proved a suitable
quaff but nowhere close; I have misplaced the details but will post.
That's not the point, though: to go from NJ sewers to Shafer was quite the
ascension .