winewaves

Can the Circle Be Unbroken? Bogle Phantom 2005

In between the last sips of the last glass of this bottle of Bogle Phantom 2005, I pick up my blue guitar and strum a few measures of that old hymn and wonder what it means. What circle? The reason this tune is on my mind has to do with the seemingly imminent passing of an uncle. He's about to leave a gap in the circle here, and I suppose he will join the circle of those who left before. This is a favorite song of his and he is on my mind.

Whenever I play my guitar, there are phantoms in my head. One tends to play tunes written or performed by those who have already left the room. I first picked up a guitar as a point of entry into the head of one such person. You can learn a lot from those who pass before.

Bogle Phantom turns out to be a lush wine, offering up lots of fruit preserves flavors and aromas, wrapped in sweet spicy oak overtones. Plummy, cherry and currant fruit abounds. The spice is a bit along the lines of a Moroccan blend, and there's a touch of vanilla in there as well.

The blend is 55% Petite Sirah, 42% Zinfandel, with the balance being Mourvedre (Monastrell). The spicy notes are brought out through the time spent lying in American oak barrels. Bogle is known for giving a lot of wine for the money, and Phantom always sells out quickly. I guess that's why they call it Phantom - it's elusive - hard to get a hold of, so to speak.

Earlier in the evening, we paired Phantom with some barbecue beef, of the sweet tomato variety. Anything of that hearty stick-to-your-ribs sort of food will pair well. Now that the last sip is gone, I put down my guitar and let go of the day.

Price: $19 (Nashville). Closure: real cork. Alcohol content: 14.5%

Hardly Petite: Michael David Lodi Petite Petit 2006 and EOS Paso Robles Petite Sirah 2004

Petite Sirah was originally known as Durif, named after Dr. François Durif who first crossed French Syrah and Peloursin in 1880. Acreage of this misunderstood grape has been on a roller coaster ever since, but is on an upswing once again.

Michael David Lodi Petite Petit 2006 is the perfect wine for the election season. Circus elephants grace the label, and a couple of glasses will make you believe Sarah Palin has foreign policy experience.

Like elephants whose size is imposing, Petite Petit is large. But also like the elephant, the personality is sweet, and the only risk posed is that of being stepped on. Michael-David's signature "smokehouse" aromas waft past the very ample aromas of ripe plummy fruit. On the tongue, the fruit is sweet, and the texture is smooth.

Petite Petit gets its name from the fact that a minor (15%) portion of Petit Verdot is blended in. All the fruit is sourced from Lodi, and the aging is 14 months in French oak.

Price: $17 (Nashville). Closure: Real cork. Alcohol content:  14.5%.

You might think someone just opened a fancy box of chocolates when you sniff EOS Petite Sirah 2004. Overtones of chocolate, caramel and nuts combine with loganberry fruit to create a nose that's coming into its own right now.

On the tongue, the EOS is brawny, not petite by any means. Bold and not for the meek, the fruit is deep and remains quite tart for a 4-year-old. There are plenty of tannins in the finish to carry the plethora of fruit and spice flavors.

Price: $15 (Nashville). Closure: Real cork. Alcohol content: 13.5%.

These are both very nice value-priced Petite Sirah's worthy of staining your newly whitened teeth. If pressed, I would take the EOS overall (by a nose), and paired with anything chocolate. On the other hand, I would take the Petite Petit for being best on the tongue, and for pairing with Barbecue.

Petite Sirah is at its best when paired with winter savory dishes like stews or pot roasts, but don't hesitate to serve it like Zinfandel, with burgers, pizza, chocolate, barbecue, or even your favorite smokable, if you're so inclined. For more information about Petite Sirah, visit the advocacy group: P.S. I Love You.

For all you Vince Neil (Motley Crüe) fans out there, EOS is working with Vince and now has a Vince Neil Petite Sirah available over the internet only. It's really affordable, and here's the link to the EOS web site where you can find it as long as it's available: click here.