
Good Morning Gentle Readers,
In terms of production, Bogle is the 14th largest winery in the US, yet it remains a family operation, producing consistently good wines at affordable prices. Odds are, Gentle Reader, that you've seen Bogle wines on a menu, at Sam's Club, or in the groceria (assuming you live in a progressive enough state where wines are allowed to be sold along with bacon and beans).
Bogel's Old Vine Zinfandel continues the tradition and TWC found it to be quite an enjoyable wine. If you are interested to know what ten dollar (or under) wine ought to taste like, pick up a bottle and give it a swirl in your glass.
There are a lot of entries in the $7.00-$10.00 price niche and, unfortunately, many of them are not good. Too many wineries are looking to dazzle and schtick, hoping to attract novice buyers with clever labeling and funky branding. Some of them are just okay, others are just plonk, still others offer up cloying cough syrup with a fumey alcohol aroma. Pass.
The tasteful label, clear description, and good looking bottle give us a good idea of what's inside. Nice aroma of black fruits, a little raspberry and strawberry (I *was* eating strawberries, so maybe that's why) on the palate, nice finish, structured tannins.....what's not to like? This is a very good wine which garners a 42% rating on TWC's Standardized Wine Price/Value Ratio®.
Head-trained, dry farmed vines are prized for their production of small, concentrated clusters of grapes that are vinted into incredibly rich and intense wines. For years, Bogle has sought out these gnarly old vines to create our Old Vine Zinfandel.
Scents of sun-warmed, wild raspberries bubble up to the surface in your first impression of the Zinfandel. Notes of ripe berries and nutmeg follow, while touches of black pepper and subtle spicy oak compliment the fruit. Full-bodied, the mouthfeel is rounded out and finished with earthy notes and soft tannins.