Saturday night my husband and I had the opportunity to go out to dinner... by ourselves! Now, you have to understand that we have two small children (ages 2 and 5), so typically our restaurant choices are limited to, shall we say, more family-friendly establishments. You can only imagine my excitement when I scammed convinced my mother and she offered to take the boys for the weekend. This meant that we could go to a restaurant that didn't have balloons or place mats on which you can color.

We decided to try Starr Place in Rhinebeck, NY. We hadn't been there before and from the Web site, it looked promising. Starr Place had a nice wine list with several bottles I recognized and some I didn't, so that was a nice mix. I also liked the flat-pricing concept they use for wine. There is one price for a glass of wine, and one price for a bottle of wine no matter what you choose. Since you're not thinking about the cost, hopefully you'll focus more on what you plan to drink.

There were several Spanish selections on the wine list and after deciding on what to order for dinner (pumpkin gnocchi with braised duck ragout), I thought I'd try the Bodegas Pucho Mencia 2005. Unfortunately I have a cold so I don't think I got as much out of the wine as I might have if my nose hadn't been slightly stuffy, but even so I really enjoyed it. The aroma was driven by red fruit with some notes of licorice. It definitely reminded me of Cabernet Franc (which is the comparison you often hear when discussing Mencia). The wine had a nice bit of fruit at the front with a bit of minerality to it as well. The finish was quick and clean - a good match for my rich dinner. I am very interested in trying this wine again.

Bodegas Pucho is a winery that is sustainably farmed and owned by Jose Luis Martinez. The family conducts several "green harvests" during the year and the vines are pruned to leave no more than four shoots per vine. This keeps the yield quite low. In this video, the owner discusses his farming techniques:

Bodegas Pucho has whet my appetite for Mencia, and I look forward to trying wines from different producers in the near future.