2005 Red Rock Red

Offset by a plate of grey, oozing moussaka, the triple-R from Merced snapped at us nastily. Best qualities: Raw and biting. Couldn't finish the bottle. The elder, feisty munchkin at checkout (see below) was not allowing a cork and go--not sure how the contents would have ended up anyway, wait, yes I am. All sad, because we were ready to celebrate just having avoided a huge faux-pau after misreading the date of the Raleigh House Garden Party invite (uh, that would be on June 16th) and stopped just short of knocking on the Admiral's front door (thinking, I guess we're a bit early tonight).

Later found the RRR website defunct and an Aussie competitor by the same name. The Chain of Logic: the waitress at Orapax Inn said the owners only allow four people to handle money (hence the need to checkout), the youngest of which has worked there 18 years, e.g. they are a little "tight" with the funds; ex post facto: they came across an opportunity to buy a "buncha" cheapo bottles from a winery (and brewery combined) on the way out the door. Mission accomplished.