phantom

2009
Clarksburg, California
Old Vine Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, & Old Vine Mourvedre

What a difference a year makes. I had the 2009 last year and reviewed it. This is a year later, with the 2009 having remained bottled, and the smokiness that I so love is ALL there in the very first sip, and it lasts to the end. YES! Thanks to the Guy for a much needed surprise tonight.

This is my Halloween go-to. After the chaos of which child is going where and with who, and organizing pickups and sleepovers and trips to see grandma, this is my trick-or-treat upon my final return home.

8.5 out of 10
14.5% alc. by vol.
$19.99 / 750 ml. bottle

Four Vines Zinfandel

The Sophisticate
Paso Robles
2008
Sonoma County, CA

The first night we had this, which I believe was on Christmas Eve, I SO loved it that I couldn't stop commenting on it. My brother brought a couple of bottles along with many others. As we had only so many days and so many wines to try, we didn't get to the second bottle. He, very kindly, left the second unopened bottle with me upon his departure.

I kept it to have with a roast turkey on New Years Day. It just WASN"T the same - I HATE that!!!! I raved about the first bottle. Over the years I have found that red zins accompany turkey nicely so I couldn't wait to open the second bottle with our New Year's Day dinner. And it was good. It just wasn't as good as the first night. I don't know why. The food was different for sure. However, I had a glass prior to food BOTH times and the first time surpassed the second. Reason unknown.

Now, on New Years Day, I did open a bottle of Bogle's Phantom which we enjoyed while I was preparing dinner. I must say, The Sohpisticate then paled in comparison following in the footsteps of the smokey smooth flavors of Phantom. THAT said, I had another bottle of Phantom tonight that was just as disappointing the second time around as The Sophisticate was the second time around. Both Phantoms were the SAME vintage. I had both with no food at first. Totally perplexing!!!

As this review is for The Sophisticate I am going to go with my first impression with the first bottle. It was delicious. It was very smooth, with a lingering vanilla and oak finish.

You don't look at Daddy the way I look at Noah. You don't touch or laugh. You don't play. You don't know anything about love.

---character of Allie in The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks

8.25 out of 10
14.8% alc. by vol.
$20 / 750 ml. bottle

Bogle phantom

2007
Petite Sirah, Old Vine Zin, Old Vine Mourvedre
California

There's that word I love to say over and over: "Mourvedre". It is indeed time again for "phantom". If you've never tried it, buy some. It is only released in the fall and its usual distinct flavor I await with anticipation.

I wish I could say I am a sophisticated taster. However, upon first heady smokey "sniff", I declared in my head "Yes!". I then tasted and the first words that totally popped into my head were (in the accent and bass of "Austin Powers"): "YEAH, Baby!" I then proceeded to thank God out loud for his blessings over the vines and allowing the conditions needed to present this awesome flavor. The Guy was put off by my outward devotion to a being who did not actually physically purchase the bottle.

I am indeed thankful tonight for a nice wine experience that I haven't enjoyed in awhile. Smoke, creosote and BIG stone fruit flavor and my personal favorite "warm rocks in the sun" taste enveloped my tongue in ecstasy. :)


He, amid his figs and wine
Cried, "Oh, loving friends of mine
Pleasures come but not to stay
Even this shall pass away"

Theodore Tilton, 1866 poem, resurrected in Robert Plant's, "Even This Shall Pass Away"


8.50 out of 10
14.5% alc. by vol.
$20/750 ml. bottle
boglewinery.com

Phantom

2006
Bogle Vineyards
California

A blend of Petite Sirah, Old Vine Zin & Old Vine Mourvedre - I just LOVE saying that word!!! MOURVEDRE (more-vay-drrruh)

Well, the night started off well enough. Halloween. My most not favorite night of the year. I was looking forward to it ending and pouring myself a glass of phantom (something I was hoping to make a Halloween tradition actually).

Each of my children desired to be at someone else's house and I was taxi driver. I eventually got into it though and even dressed up for my little one. We matched. And we stayed together. The first song that came on the radio as I started driving was my old favorite, Donovan's Season of the Witch. And I thought: this is going to be a great night.

I was ending the evening at a party where my oldest daughter was and couldn't wait to get there. However, I was tired and it was pouring and I was the only one dressed up and I was given a glass of Little Penguin Merlot upon my arrival there. Hah! I deserved that. I wrote not that long ago about it being a decent wine for the price. It was the last thing I wanted. I'd brought a Cab with me and didn't know how to tactfully request that it be opened instead! I caught up with some old friends that were unexpectedly there and had a few laughs and then headed home minus my daughter who randomly wanted to go to her friend's house for the night with another friend. I drove home in the pouring rain after getting pelted by acorns and felt the beginning of a bad headache. Damn that Little Penguin! I got home and went to bed, without any desire to visit with the phantom. So much for my "new" tradition.

Finally, the next day, after taking the dog for a workout and raking leaves for a couple of hours, I opened the phantom and watched the sun go down across the field. The scent of the wine had that wonderful "stone" characteristic to it - I've likened it previously to the scent of rocks baking in the sun. And a strong scent of cherry was mixed in.

Initial taste was rather chalky but it opened up to a black pepper creosote followed by a smooth rather quick finish. I liked it, it was better after sitting open for a bit, but I was disappointed as the 2004 was rather awesome two years ago. In case you don't know, Bogle releases the phantom each year around August's end and then it's done until the following year. It always comes out in time for fall, and Halloween appropriately. I totally missed last year's 2005 production and decided to make a point going forward of getting it for Halloween evening. The 2004 had an awesome smoke flavor to it. There was only a hint of that this time around. Still a good wine - it might be better in a few months time. I will now look forward to next year.

Carving the pumpkins.

Preparing the seeds for roasting.

Me and my sunshine.

Oh when I look over my shoulder
What do you think I see?
Some other cat looking over
His shoulder at me
And he's strange, sure he's strange
You've got to pick up every stitch
You've got to pick up every stitch, yeah
Beatniks are out to make it rich
Oh no, must be the season of the witch
Must be the season of the witch, yeah
Must be the season of the witch.

Donovan, Season of the Witch

8.0 out of 10
14.5% alc. by vol.
$19 / 750 ml. bottle

ZIN91

2006

Old Vine Zinfandel

California

This was just OK. Had a bit of a bitter taste that I couldn't get past. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't great. Mostly plum and slight cherry flavors with a bit of black pepper mixed in.

I'm stepping back in time tonight to remember my good old best friend John B. from college. A boy I was very fond of, but just not fond enough to make it work. (Harry was right in When Harry Met Sally - sometimes guys and girls just can't be friends without it having to go somewhere else, which then either ruins the friendship, or maybe, just maybe was the right thing after all.) Anyway, he was my best bud for awhile there (we're talking a couple of years), until we made out on my birthday and I felt like I was kissing my brother and pushed him away and he left all mad and pretty much didn't want to ever talk to me again. :(

A favorite song of his was running through my mind tonight and made me think of him:

Might as well go for a soda, nobody hurts and nobody cries
Might as well go for a soda, nobody drowns and nobody dies. . .
It's better than slander

The Kim Mitchell Band

$15 / 750 ml. bottle
7.5 out of 10
14% alc. by vol.

PHANTOM

2005
Bogle Vineyards
Petite Sirah, Old Vine Zinafandel & Old Vine Mourvedre Blend

The 2004 Phantom was one of my absolute favorites. I've been wanting to try the 2005 since October. On a whim, and hoping for a little uplift, I went right for purchasing it this evening. The clerk told me with boastful confidence that I'd made a wise choice. I told him I was extremely partial to the smokiness of the 2004. He told me I wouldn't be disappointed with the 2005. Well, unfortunately, I was. Although it had decent flavor, it had lost its fantastic individuality that the 2004 owned. It was a good wine, slightly peppery, a fairly good finish, but tasted a bit too much like any other, and no real smoky punch. The 2004 was a much better buy. Hopefully, you bought some and stashed it. Cause that's all folks.

8.0 out of 10
$21 / 750 ml. bottle
14.5% alc. by vol.
boglewinery.com

Twisted Zin

2005
Old Vine Zinfandel
California

Would drink again . . . if I had to (just kidding). Worth the price.

Very fruit forward with blackberry and cherry too and then a little bitter olive. Has a medium finish that turns a little bittery. The Guy liked it quite a bit. I liked it better on its own than with turkey meatballs and spaghetti with roasted garlic tomato sauce.

Thoughts damage,
memories fade and
the deep bones within feel

Eyes brim,
heart aches and
just won't heal

Stomach churns,
as words break
that were never real

7.25 out of 10
$9 / 750 ml bottle
14.5% alc. by vol.
twistedwine.com

Peachy Canyon Zinfandel

2005
Paso Robles
California



Might drink again with a well-paired food match.

By scent alone, I thought I would enjoy this wine. It had a sort of dusty cherry scent. But upon tasting, it was "thin" and more light bodied than I care for. There was a slight finish, but it was high alcohol more than flavor.

That was prior to food and, as it was The Guy's B'Day, I was grilling one of the better parts of a poor cow :( for his B'Day dinner. I thought perhaps the Zin would blossom with the steak. NOT. :( Just disappointing.

On and on the rain will fall
Like tears from a star like tears from a star
On and on the rain will say
How fragile we are how fragile we are

Fragile, Sting

7.5 out of 10
$12 / 750 ml bottle
13.9% alc. by vol.

Cline Zinfandel

2006
Sonoma, California

First of all, I'd like to thank PasaRoblesCab for his contributions the last couple of nights. And I'd like to add to his comments on realizing that not everybody knows what it's like to taste fresh currants from a garden and how the $100 wine tasted just as good as the $30 wine, etc.

It's true that not everyone is afforded such opportunity. I've always wondered what a fresh currant tasted like - I hear it so often described in wine tasting. Yet, I loved hearing PasaRoblesCab's endearing memory with his grandmother's garden and how one night of wine tasting brought him back all those years. I do love to hear and learn about others' interpretations and experiences with wine. There is no right or wrong. We all have different tastes and likes and dislikes. What one person loves, another maybe can't stand. I don't believe that's a reason for someone to hold back describing their own experience because they feel they might offend someone who has never experienced the same thing. The wine world is all about differing experiences. And, also as PasaRoblesCab pointed out, there is something to be said for "Yeah, I really liked that wine - I don't know why, I just did." You don't have to taste this specific thing or that particular flavor. And, laying down $100 or more does not guarantee a "better' wine experience. It is all about whether or not you enjoyed it and would recommend someone else try it no matter what the price. Actually, I would say it is more beneficial to hear someone recommend a $11 wine than a $100 wine as I almot expect the more I pay the better it should be. So, when I hear a $11 bottle was fabulous, I feel I've been given valuable information. And, if I've been told a $50 wine was "OK", I know to stay away.

Onto the Cline Zinfandel - not ancient vine mind you.

The Guy brought this home last night and opened it prior to dinner. Meanwhile, I had planned dinner around a bottle of Dynamite Chardonnay I've had that I've wanted to try. So, I was stuck. It was so COLD, and it was snowing, and all I felt like was red wine. Yet, I wantd to taste-test the Chardonnay and I had thought all day about what home-made Friday night pizza I was going to do to accompany it. I'd settled on shrimp pizza made with jumbo shrimp, ricotta, fresh garlic, parmesean, and mozarella with basil leaves.

Well, I had a full glass of the Cline prior to dinner and while I was cooking, and it was good. It just wasn't as good as the Ancient Vine zin. It had nice berry flavor up front and finished with vanilla oak (which I normally like), but it also thinned out a bit in the finish and tasted slightly grape juice like. Overall, I would say it was worth the sale price. I did move on to the Dynamite Vineyards Chardonnay with my dinner. I will review that tomorrow.

Look at me
I'm in a place
I never thought I'd be
Don't have the strength
To fight anymore
Or a reason not to leave
So tell me why I still keep holding on
To something I just cannot see
What makes you stay
When your world falls apart
What makes you try one more time
When it's not in your heart
At the end of your rope
When you can't find any hope

Deana Carter, What Makes You Stay

7.75 out of 10
$11.99 on sale for $9.99 / 750 ml. bottle
14.0% alc. by vol
http://www.clinecellars.com/

Four Vines Zinfandel

2005
Old Vine Cuvee
Paso Robles, California

Highly recommend. Good value - will drink again.

Ok. Last night's wine was over the top expensive. So tonight, I'm back to the budget material. I thought this was a great wine for the price. This was a nice blend of blackberry, oak, and a nice woodsey-spice finish.

The Guy and I had Four Vines The Biker back in May of last year. It was very good, but much more pricey. (Incidentally, I hope to try Four Vines' line of Freakshow wines in the near future - I'm guessing they're pretty fab.) Although this is a different flavor than The Biker, I liked it quite a bit. The Guy purchased it and asked me to guess how much I thought he spent. I guessed $18.99 and was way off - too high. I couldn't believe it.

I enjoyed this very much on its own. I made chili and it tasted especially good with the smoked flavor in the chili. But after adding Habanero Cheddar to the chili (which was very strong and hot), the wine was a little drowned out. Later, the flavor returned as I began to blog and peruse E-mail.

Incidentally, The Guy said this wine had a tasting tag in the store that said it had a 90 rating - but he didn't know from what publication. I saw on-line while looking for a label to paste (because I broke my camera :( and can't take pictures of the bottles I drink from) this wine is listed under the 90+ ratings category.

On Christmas Eve at about the age of sixteen, I sat in front of the fireplace and Christmas Tree at my aunt's and was introduced to the works of Robert Frost, specifically, The Road Not Taken. It is one of those poignant memories I return to again and again in my life. I remember thinking that night: Will I know what road to take when the fork is in front of me? I sometimes wonder if it wasn't the "sign" I've looked for for so long, yet am continually unable to find. I'll never know why I didn't get the message that night to take the road that looks less easy. For I did not take "The Road Less Travelled" and have looked back at the fork ever since, forever wondering if the road not taken was the one that was meant to be. Or, does an extension of the same road reappear on the map some time in the future?

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that, the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I marked the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Robert Frost

8.5 out of 10
$10.99 / 750 ml. bottle
14.6% by vol.
http://www.fourvines.com/

Klinker Brick

2005
LODI
Old Vine Zinfandel

Will buy again.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!

Thank you for your Dead Arm comments Paso Robles. I love to hear others' takes on wines I've tried. As I had the Dead Arm without food, I especially enjoyed learning what you served it with.

Before I review, check out this very cool wine glass to be used when one glass of wine just isn't enough:

http://www.hammacher.com/publish/70375.asp

I bought Klinker Brick to have at Thanksgiving before Uncle Bob's Turley for those who wanted red. I had (2) bottles left over and opened one as I never did have it on Thanksgiving. One was very good so The Guy opened the second.

A dark red velvet-like color, this full bodied wine was medium dry with a fairly long, slightly, slightly bitter but enjoyable finish. It's scent was “berry” soaked in oak. The taste was very berry up front followed by slight oak and then warmth going down, followed by a very slight vanilla-ness and allover nice balance.

cable knit sweater
extended then enveloping
a welcome safe haven
troubles fade, no need for coping
life becomes new
as time is transended
but for a few

8.25 out of 10
Alc. 15.5% by vol
$16.99 / 750 ml bottle
http://www.klinkerbrickwinery.com/

Dynamite Cabernet Sauvignon

2003
North Coast
Sonoma County, California

Mikey D. - I do like your Dynamite. We do have similar taste. This is a little drier than I normally go for, but the flavor is very good. It's woodsey, smokey and blackberry. It is my wedding anniversary tonight and we never have red meat. But The Guy loves steak, so I bought the good stuff - no antibiotics, no hormone-fed cattle. Top Round steak it was and the Dynamite accompanied it well. Nice pairing. The Guy felt it tasted more expensive than its price.

I have no photo available, but the label by Stephen Ward is of Lake County's "Diamonds" - an Indian Chieftain is illustrated grieving over volcanic stones. The story on the back of the label goes like this: "According to folklore, the Moon wept when she could not be with her love, a Pomo Indian Chieftan. Her tears fell to earth, forming glistening shards. These semi-precious volcanic stones, found nowhere else, remind us that our home is unique." (Personally, having always had a feverous preoccupation for Chief CrazyHorse, this Civil War buff can identify with the moon. I am a white woman thrown over the back of a stallion by one of Crazy Horse's tribesmen and brought back to camp - Crazy Horse comes out to find me, hands tied, by the fire. He scolds his tribesmen for being so rough, unties my hands and takes me to his teepee - OK, wrong blog, sorry.)

And so, I raise my glass to the shards.

8.0 out of 10
13.9% by volume
$17.99 / 750 ml bottle
http://www.dynamitevineyards.com/

The Guy: As we go through the list of wines that The Gal and I have so enthusiastically sampled, I find a few "good" wines that deserve being set on a "I'd Drink that again" list, (note to self, make a short list). The Dynamite was one of those.

Say what you will about being able to find good wines under $10, or even $15. If I had the money and I had to choose between the Dynamite compared to a South Australia Red like Yellowtail Shiraz or Little Penguin Merlot, I'd go for the Dynamite. Much like Red, or The TURK ( A personal favorite of mine), Dynamite tasted like a more expensive wine.

Before starting this blog, the Gal and I routinely spent over $20 on a bottle of wine without thinking twice. We believed that the more expensive the wine, the better it should be. While that is true in a number of cases, I'd be hard pressed to tell you some of the $40 bottles we've had with friends are that much better than the $15/$16/$17 we continue to discover.

The same night we had Dynamite, we had another bottle of Gnarly Head Old Vine Zine ($10.99). A taste test comparison between the two wasn't even close. Yes, on it' s own, we liked Gnarly Head. But after sampling the Dynamite, the Gnarly just didn't measure up.

You'll find that experience to be common around the holidays as you spent time with friends and family sharing wines you bought, or they brought. It's part of the adventure. Just be sure to make Dynamite part of your adventure.

Thanksgiving Update: The following is my wine menu (Chardonnay to accompany appetizers of shrimp and "Bombay" cream cheese, curry, cranberry, coconut dip with stoned wheat crackers), Red Zin for the main meal and turkey (or Chardonnay for those guests who prefer white). I am hoping to also serve a Port with dessert (too many in my new favorite wine store - I was getting dizzy reading labels). Will keep you posted.

2005 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay, NAPA
2006 Roux Pere & Fils Macon-Villages Chardonnay, France
2002 Turley Red Zin, Juvenile
2005 Klinker Brick Old Vine Zin, LODI

Phantom 2004 Sirah Zinfandel Blend

54% Petite Sirah
43% Old Vine Zinfandel
3% Mourvedre
California - V.2004

Will most definitely drink again.

Supposedly, this wine is only found in retail stores once a year - just in time for Halloween. Then it's gone again and hard to get your hands on. I got the last bottle in the store I was at. They have more on order but it's not due in for a couple more weeks.

I was beginning to think 2007 was going to end without my tasting a most excellent wine. That's when the "phantom" came in. Awesome. Deep, deep ruby color. The bouquet was heavy smokey fruit - not sweet. While there was almost a burst of fruit flavor initially, it quickly became dry and smokey followed by an outstanding mineral and earth finish.

I preferred this wine on it's own. The night we had it we had a light leftover and salad menu so I didn't try to pair. It is recommended to serve with a hearty winter dish. The Guy and I consumed the bottle and tonight, as I write, I long for more. I keep going back to smell the empty bottle.

In the name of freedom or politics?
Famlies split, long enough.
Lives affected, changed, taken.
Abandoned tractor sits, finish now rough,
bearing the sign of so much foresaken.

9.0 out of 10
$19.99 / 750 ml bottle (but have seen on-line for $16)
14.8% alc. by vol.
http://www.boglewinery.com/