Bogle Phantom Red Blend

Bogle Vineyards "Phantom" Red Wine Blend 2009 

Every year I take on a personal challenge to select the right wine for the Thanksgiving dinner table - a Champagne, a hearty fruity red and a crisp clean white. With a full cellar downstairs I invariably have a list of candidates in mind. I rediscovered this when I stopped in at the Saturday afternoon tasting at Main Street Liquors in Lagrange, IL. They were serving it because it was the highlight of an earlier tasting they conducted. I was looking for a Zinfandel or Rhone style blend for our Thanksgiving feast and this appeared. I look forward to serving this with our family dinner. This is a unique blend of Zinfandel and Rhone varietals sourced from the California central valley and Sierra foothills - 52% Zinfandel from Lodi, 46% Petite Sirah from Clarksburg, and 2% Mourvedre from Amador County. This is a lot of wine for the money rendering a high QPR - Quality to Price Ratio for this wine that is available between $15 and $20. .

This is dark garnet colored, full-bodied mid palate with a firm finish, the winemaker's notes say this wine showcases the best of these three unique varietals. While it lacks the backbone and tannic structure of a Cabernet, that is why it is approachable easy drinking and suitable for a Thanksgiving dinner offering with Turkey, dressing and so on. We'll see how this plays out.

Full forward fruits of blackberry, black  raspberry and briary boysenberries give way to mocha, hints of pomegranate, juniper and cedar finish with a touch of black pepper on a zesty finish.   

RM 89 points.

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