Niki and I were making our way to Bexley's Monk on a recent Friday evening. The Monk is our most regular spot for drinks and dinner, a comfortable yet romantic restaurant with a wine list notable for good selection and good pricing, and expert staff -- at least one member of which proudly wears bow ties. What else can be said? Everything about the place reflects a refined taste and elegance devoid of stuffiness.

As we parked the car and made our way toward the restaurant, an attractive and well-dressed couple passed by on the sidewalk. After a quick double-take, I realized that they were our friends Nicole and Heath, whom we were to see at a party the following evening. Never having tried the Monk before but knowing our affinity for the place, they told us that they were just discussing whether they should have called to invite us to join them. (Curiously, the same day began in a similar fashion, when I answered a call to my mobile phone not by picking it up but by walking through the door of the person who was calling to ask when I would arrive.) We finished making our way inside as a recently-formed party of four and settled down at the bar for a few minutes while a table was prepared for us.

Having recently returned from Italy, Heath told us about the wines he tried while there, a variety of rather good wines at prices that boggle the American mind. Our dinner orders were taken just as we finished our drinks, and they included salads, soups, filet mignon, pizza, and a fish dish. I selected a bottle of wine that I thought would be sufficiently versatile to work with what everyone was having for dinner and sufficiently interesting to enhance what was shaping up to be a lovely experience of taste, sights, sounds, and thoughts. And of course, a tasty U.S.-produced wine seemed most appropriate to prevent anyone from getting the idea that one has to go to a place like Italy to get the good stuff.

Coming from Carmel Valley in California, the Bernardus Marinus is a delicious proprietary blend in the fine tradition of France's Bordeaux region. The 1999 had enough age on it to open up nicely and allow the Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot all to work together to make for a delicious medium-bodied red wine that served as an excellent complement to a variety of dishes, with nice and ripe fruit flavors and a lovely finish. Perhaps two years ago, I had another bottle of Marinus, probably a 1997, and enjoyed the wine quite a bit, though I believe that the present bottle of the 1999 vintage was noticeably better. Not a cheap wine by any means, it is delicious and I think well worth the price.