Guest Author - Jim Fortune

I recommended this wine in my article that I wrote on 5/15/2008 My Summer Wine List - 10 under $10 each On that list, in no particular order, it was #10 of the 10 I had listed in that article.

Year: 2006
Winery: Bogle
Region/Country: Clarksburg & Lodi, California
Varietal: Petite Sirah
ALC: 13.5%

I have enjoyed Bogle before but have never really evaluated it on a online wine guy "professional" level. You know what I mean? I tried it, liked it and made a note of it in the back of my book of wines that I have tried and liked, but never have done anything formal like an evaluation.

So here goes. Let's start by saying that I really like Petite Sirah. I can say without hesitation that this is a great grape. I can also say I have never met a Petite Sirah that I did not like. I can't say that about any other grape varietal. Now that I have all of the disclosures and disclaimers out of the way, I can get on with the review.

My "normal" Petite Sirah used to be Guenoc. I say it used to be my Petite Sirah because back in the days when I "found it", it used to sell for $7.49 and on sale for $6.99 a bottle. I have not been buying it recently because it is out of my league, price wise. If I was going to splurge on a bottle of something, it would be a bottle of 2005 Guenoc Lake Country Petite Sirah for around $20. This vintage was named California's Best Pitite Sirah at the California State Fair last year. At $20 it has come a long way from $7.49; like almost 300% more (3 times).

This 2006 Bogle Petite Sirah has a great nose in the glass when first poured. I popped the corked and did not let this wine breathe at all. There is not a heavy tannin smell after swirling the wine around in the glass, but it does have a slight hint of oak. It is very pleasant and mellow.

I could detect the smell of dark cherries or maybe berries. The color was dark purple. The first taste was smooth and almost velvety. I don't know if it is a word, but jammy comes to mind when tasting this wine.

I read a review of the 2006 Bogle Petite Sirah that mentioned currants and spice. I did not notice any spice, and maybe the currants smell like berries or dark cherries. Jammy is a good description of this wine. And another word that comes to mind is yummy.

This is a very easy going wine and it is in national distribution, meaning you can get it just about anywhere great wines are sold. The price I paid for it was $8.49, $8.06 after a 5% mixed case discount.

My food pairing with this wine was salmon grilled on the barbeque along with steamed sweet potatoes.

Once again, the 2006 Bogle Petite Sirah did not let me down. If you try it, let me know what you think about it.

Until next time, let me know what is on your mind, and how you are doing, O.K.?

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Jim Fortune - Bella Online Wine Guy