Last night, I met two of my dear girlfriends at Veritas (a Dallas wine bar).  It had been too long since we had seen each other – it always is – and we needed to catch up.  As usual, there were some big surprises – one had conducted a whirlwind romance over  the previous 10 days unbeknownst to us.  Some things remained the same – we all needed more time in the day and we all wanted more work/life balance.  We talked, laughed, drank some good wine and ate some unique cheese.

My first glass was the 05 Outpost Howell Mountain Petite Sirah.  I got a great deal of white pepper, big berry taste and some mint and chocolate on the finish.  I ordered this wine last week and enjoyed it more than I did this week.  Not sure if it had spent a little too much time in the bottle, but it didn’t have the depth it did before.

The second glass was the 07 Mettler Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon.  This one would definitely benefit with some age, but I enjoyed the big fruit and balance of the wine.  As long as it remains a by the glass option, it will be my Veritas red of choice.

These are wines that are truly off the beaten path and cannot be found in your local grocery store or most likely, your local restaurant.  In my local wine column in Black White and Read a few months ago, I ranted about how our local restaurants should take the same care with their wine as they do with their food choices.  We need to rally to support those neighborhood wine bars and restaurants that do.  Go with your friends – it will be a guaranteed great night of food, wine, laughter (and potentially song) and you’ll make your local wine world a better place.

P.S. If you do visit Veritas on Monday, all wines by the glass are half price.