Mixed Vintages, Single Vantage

We went on Thursday in celebration of a birthday as well as my possibly having some fabulous personal news (TBA at a later date) to Armitage in DC Ranch. I had been there before and chosen a 'safe' Malbec that I already knew I liked so was willing to come back and be a bit more adventurous this time.

Among our group we tried:

2 flights of bubbles

1 'worldly reds'

1 'fun whites'

We started off with the Ahi Tuna Carpaccio...meh. The Ahi was fantab but absolutely drowned in their sauce so the inherent (very strong) flavors were overwhelmed. So meh. But really it could have been worse, they started off with great ingredients so even overdone it was still totally lovely. Let's say 6-7/10.

At this point we got our wine flights...and the presentation on the customary wooden boards was completely nice. They numbered them (not a novel concept but totally useful) so obviously were accustomed to having a large volume of patrons doing flights at the same time. I approve.

The flights themselves...the bubbles were nice but nothing really novel. But fun for a night out with your friends. Sort of like roast beef with vegetables...you have to do something really horrible to make it go wrong, but by the same token you aren't going to have done something memorable without reinventing with a crazy twist or offering something like a Kobe roast. They hit the target but that's about it.

Next we'll go on to the 'worldly reds,' and I'd like to point out that despite everyone's assumption, this was not my flight. I did try all of it though of course, as any friend of mine well knows wine is meant for sharing. Yours is mine and all that. The tempranillo that started it off tasted off, the French Côtes du Rhone that followed was completely uninteresting but at least I have hope that had it either aged or opened more there might have been some delicate beauty. The malbec that finished...bleah. Yes, you heard me, I said bleah. I love malbecs. I am even gentle with their critique because so often the vintner is still learning but there is a lot of hope. This one...I really have little to say other than bleah it had a green tasting overtone and I don't mean in the nice white wine way. I mean in a taste that made me think of moldy logs in the forest and the strange green smell of a marsh. No thank you.

Now I, I chose the 'fun whites' flight for one reason and one reason only: I was feeling nostalgic. During grad school in Oz I discovered Brown Brothers Winery and their Orange Muscat and Flora. Up until we made each other's acquaintance, I found most muscat/moscato to be just too cloyingly sweet. I had a similar experience once upon a time with ports. Then I found Brown Brother's version and fell in love. Fabulous sipping on a hot day or snuggling in on a romantic evening or writing a dissertation in the hot tub. Yes I did just say that. So the muscat involved was quite solid but surprisingly so were its friends, the pinot gris showing a lot of character for such a light wine and the blend really I would have preferred paired with a more robust meal to showcase...my salad just didn't do it justice.

All in all, Armitage is what it purports to be: a decent wine bar with surprisingly decent prices for the area that also has nibbles. Wait staff is a bit snooty as one would expect but at least schooled well in serving.

...oh and the picture? Plum wine on the patio.