Synopsis, Our Opinion: A burly fruit flavored wine that doesn’t do justice to inexpensive California Merlot.
Producer/Winery: Bogle Vineyards; Clarksburg, Calirfornia.
Grape Variety: Merlot.
Geographic Appellation: California.
Vintage: 2014
Price: $7.99
Purchased From: Walmart; Kernersville, North Carolina.
Paired With: Swedish meatballs in Béchamel sauce with sour cream flavored with dill, Worcestershire sauce and nutmeg; mashed potatoes and peas; dark chocolate for dessert.
Tasting:
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Opened one hour before drinking. Clear, dark purple color with a lighter rim. Ripe plumb and cherry aromas with vegetative whiffs that remind me of moldy hay in still barn air. Medium-body, slightly sharp mouth-feel; juicy, overly ripe indistinguishable berry fruit flavor that had a nagging sweetness that turns abruptly at mid palate to a bitter, dusty, slightly sharp, mouth puckering tar finish that goes on and on through a slightly peppery aftertaste. OK (at best) with the meatballs, drinkable alone and terrible with the dark chocolate. At $8 it just squeezes into the “Not bad” category for a Merlot, but Vicky says she likes the strong flavors for cooking, so it gets some positive points as a potential cooking wine. A burly fruit flavored wine that doesn’t do justice to inexpensive California Merlot.
March 30, 2019. The 2016 was similar although it only cost $6.71 at the grocery store in California. We both said it was drier, more acidic and less sweet…although it still has the “California sweetness” but in the end it’s better quality and lower in cost than the 2014 vintage. The 2016 vintage is a solid two thumbs up and a recommended Merlot at this price. It’s been a long time since we’ve had $6.00 wine!!!
Photo from Wikipedia.
Alcohol Content: 13.5%
Closure: Natural cork.
UPC Code: 0 80887 49378 2
Imported by: NA