Dinner out. Cricklewood and Ramazzotti.

That was refreshing to not get reamed for a bottle of wine at a restaurant.

Cricklewood Restaurant in Santa Rosa is not a fancy joint.  They'll never get a Michelin star let alone be on any wine country visitor's must go to list.   It's an old-style steak place with a bar and lots of cozy booths for eating.

I was shocked when I saw the wine list.   They are all Sonoma County and not your generic wines you find anywhere as some real thought went into the selections.  The shock was there were lots of bottles in the $20s and $30s.  The most expensive was a Kenwood Artist Series Cabernet that retails for $75--for $65 on the wine list.  You'd have to really try to spend more than about $32 on wine.

Image from nexternal.com

We wound up with a Ramazzotti Regale red blend.  Ramazzotti is a small producer using Dry Creek and Alexander Valley fruit.   Checking his website the Regale retails for $35.  I paid $25 at the restaurant.   No, I'm not going to tell them.

BTW, Joe Ramazzotti makes a kick-ass Sangiovese and Super Tuscan blend, but with a name like Ramazzotti he should, huh?