I was ga ga over this wine some time ago but for some reason haven't purchased it recently, so I snagged a bottle for eight bones at Costco.This is a nose – Fran opened the bottle, poured a glass for me, and set it on the coffee table and I could smell it from the couch. Rich, dark chocolate, black fruit – blackberry, ripe black plums – it's a big, powerful nose, but not over the top.
More blackness on the palate – plum, blackberry, chocolate, ultra, dark blueberries – but I'm also getting some interesting nectarine notes along with vanilla and some herbal qualities – excellent acidic backbone yet the tannins are very mild.
Some anise notes linger on the finish as well as more chocolate, with some leather and tobacco.
For under ten bucks, you probably won't do much better. This is a solid offering of a somewhat unusual varietal, so it's a great way to expand your wine horizons.
Wine: 8
Value: Excellent value
I will definitely look for this wine after reading your review. Fits my criteria of around $10 and interesting, not too much tannin. I noticed you tasted it tonight. Did you have it on its own, or with dinner or snack? I have your site on my 'favorites' now.... Someday, I hope to be able to identify all those flavors as well as you can!
ReplyDeleteAlso - I need to bring a wine for Christmas: ham, keilbassa, turkey, salad...green bean casserole... Would you suggest this, or something else?
ReplyDeleteThank you for the kind words. Should you drink anything I write about, please comment and let's compare notes!
ReplyDeleteMy #1 Christmas suggestion is Fetzer Gewurtztraminer. You can probably find it for seven bucks or so at a grocery store or decent sized liquor store - it's a nice white wine, interesting, good depth, a touch of sweetness, and exceptionally food friendly.
For red wine, while this wouldn't be a bad choice, I think any "Beaujolais Villages" wine (it'll say that on the front of the label) or a Pinot Noir would work better. They'd be "lighter" in body and have a bit more acid which is good for food.
Christmas dinner is so varied it's tough to get something perfect, that's why I lean towards more generically "food friendly" wines.
Unless you have a strong aversion to white wines, I'd lean towards a Gewurtz or a Riesling (anything under $10 and from Germany will be fine).
Oh, and we had this with pizza - I have yet to find a wine that doesn't go well with pizza. From the lightest bodied Pinot Grigio to the most over the top Australian Shiraz - they all work.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your recommendations. I think we will try the Fetzer. I'll let you know. Happy Holidays!
ReplyDeleteJust tried the Bogle.
ReplyDeleteReally, really liked it. Had it with pizza too. But I think it really melded with what I had on the pie: just a little italian tomatoe, a bit of fresh oregeno, gourmet mix of mushrooms (earthy), and goat cheese.
At first the wine was quite forward on the palate, but it softened with a bit of time out of the bottle, and I think it really liked the goat cheese!
I paid $11ish. I will definitely put in on my radar! Then purchase a few bottles when I find the best price in my neck of the woods!
Gary Vaynerchuk just reviewed this...
ReplyDeletehttp://tv.winelibrary.com/2009/01/16/petite-sirah-episode-609/
And I noticed Costco now has this wine at about 8.99 or so (might have been 8.75... less than $9 where I am, let's say.
Very intense little wine for this price point.