Wannabe Wino

I returned to The Winery in Old Town Alexandria to scoop up a few more bottles of the excellent Negromara that we drank for WBW: Go Native. Sadly, none were left. We actually got to meet the owner of the store this time, and were lamenting that she was out of it and only had 3 bottles of the Touraine Rose we loved as well, as we had planned to buy a case! She suggested a different rose (more on that later) and this bottle of 2005 Faunus Cesanese del Piglio.

The bottle cost $12.99, was 13.5% alcohol by volume, and had a real cork closure. It's a red blend of 80% Cesanese, 10% Barbera, and 10% Montepulciano.

On the nose the wine was spicy with black pepper, cedar, and black currants showing through. In the mouth again, the wine was spicy, with black cherry, black currants, and a very smoky note. The cherry flavor was incredibly fresh.

Overall, I felt as if I should be wearing a smoking jacket and lighting up a cigar while drinking this wine, but that would detract from the wine. It had a lot of depth of flavor for the price point. Another successful recommendation from The Winery. I think this place will become my go to wine shop, so far I've been very impressed with all the selections I've purchased.

I served the wine with an eye of the round roast, purple mashed potatoes, and green beans. A good match for the dinner, I like how the meat went with the smokiness of the wine.