Our 22nd wedding anniversary arrived after a hectic week.  We didn't even decide to go out until the day before and wanted a restaurant fairly close to home.  It had to have good food and wine list, of course.  Luckily, we have Grey Moss Inn only 15 minutes away.  It had been a few years since we last visited. We had gotten into the "let's keep trying new places" mode and tended to keep driving across town.

I had downloaded the restaurant's wine list the day before and had already picked a red and white (you never know what the special dishes would consist of).  I love trying new wines, but at restaurant prices, I also want a sure thing.  I had a couple old standbys in mind, but I'm always open to suggestions from the wine steward or server.   This night was no different.  

Our excellent server Greg, suggested the A. Rafanelli 2006 Dry Creek Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.  It was the same price as the red I was thinking about.  He said that after tasting both, he preferred the Rafanelli. That was a good enough recommendation for me.

 A. Rafanelli winery is located north of Healdsburg, California in the Dry Creek Valley AVA (Sonoma County).  It is now in the fourth generation of family ownership and operation.

Greg brought the bottle and offered a taste.  Even just after opening, this wine appealed to me.  The nose presented dark fruit aromas and just a little dustiness.  Flavors of big black cherries and black currants led to a very long finish.  The acidity level indicated that it would go great with food.

The wine begged for big red meat, so, we obliged by ordering the Filet.  The steak was grilled over mesquite charcoal (a great feature of this restaurant).  It was accompanied by twice-baked, sour cream potatoes and squash with cumin.  For a starter, we had their wild game sausage and berry chutney; tonight it was caribou and venison.  We also shared an interesting salad with peaches, tomatoes, red onions, freese, spinach, candied walnuts. and goat cheese.  The food was great, just like we remembered from previous visits.  While the wine was not a perfect match for berry chutney and salad with peaches, it was a really worked with the steak and accompanying sides.

We made a promise not to wait so long before our next visit.  Now, it I could just find a local establishment that sold A. Rafanelli wines...