We had two wines with dinner at Bucci Ristorante last night. The 2002 Shafer Hillside Select was the overall better of the two wines. In fact, the wine was so good that one can drink it without pairing food. It had a blackberry jam aroma and taste. The velvet wine finished a bit crisp with fruit and tannins. The 2005 29 Cabernet Sauvignon by Vineyard 29 offered a fruity aroma and blackberry taste. The wine was smooth and had a crisp finish and fruity aftertaste with tannins. It was more acidic than the Shafer’s and paired well with my dinner of seafood in a red sauce on linguine. The 29 was enjoyable and it was noted that the Shafer’s was older. I liked both wines and each added to the dinner conversation.

On a side note, for dessert we had a Riesling dessert wine that I made from a wine kit. It was very sweet, fruity but had enough acid to cut the sweetness on the finish. The people who tried it enjoyed the wine. I must have done something right.