Saturday, January 17, 2009

Bogle Vineyard Merlot 2006 - My Good Cheap Wine of the Week


Hello to you all again and happy new year. My hopes for all is that this new year brings new money, new friends, new romances, new aspirations, and yeah, new wines. For some, I believe that this current wine of the week may be a good start for you. Let me introduce you to Bogle Vineyards Merlot 2006, and yes, I've watched "Sideways," and to tell you the truth, when done right, Merlot is one of the most complex grapes around. My opinion to those who look to expand their palate inregards to wine is to not get caught up in what people say you should drink, try new things and let your taste buds do the talking. Now that I'm off of my soapbox let's get down to it, this Merlot, which you can buy at any Raleys or Safeway grocery store, is a great buy at 13.99. Let me tell you, there are certain smells that will always bring a smile to my face, the smoke from a good cigar, the smell from Cinnabon, fresh bread, and lastly inhaling the interior of a new car. I love the smell of a new car, this Merlot captures that characteristic. There is an array of vanilla, rasberry, and a hint of earth tones in it. Also, what's so great is that with all these aromas tickling your nose, this Merlot does not over do it, the balance and structure is very much apparent in this young wine.
I know, I know, I went off on a tangent without even tasting this Merlot yet, but I was just trying to paint a picture for your sense of smell, now let's get to the good part. Upon tasting the Bogle Merlot, you catch hints of cinnamon and ripe cherry. As the Merlot hits the mid palate, black currant is apparent along with chocolate, which transitions nicely into the finish and is topped off again with ripe cherry. Truthfully, I would buy 2 of these bottles of wine, one I would drink now, and the other I would hold onto for at least 3 to 5 years. The idea of holding onto this wine derives within the finish. This 2006 Merlot has a finish surrounded in tannins(pucker effect in your mouth), with an array of fruit playing a symphony on your palate, but what is interesting is the fruit apparently has not yet reached its full potential. Although young, this intriguing Merlot is so well made, the structure mutes the complexity just enough to let the drinker know that down the road this wine could move up from a good wine to exceptional. This is a very well balanced wine and after a few years the tannins will mostly subside and the fruit will explode in your mouth. Once you try the Bogle Merlot feel free to comment, let me know how you feel about any of the wines I've showcased, I would love to hear your feedback, positive or negative, everyone has a different palate, enjoy.

4 comments:

  1. So I tried this bottle out tonight at the recommendation of Mr Gunter. Glad I started drinking early because once I got into the bottle, I couldn't put it down! And I have work tomorrow! At first taste (sorry Jaton, I'm not too much into the smells yet) I was a little hesitant. The wine seems a bit too light for me, and I was hoping for something with a bit stronger punch right off the first sip. After letting it decant for a few minutes, it seemed to really open up though and even though my sommelier skills are no where close to Jaton's, I definitely tasted those CHERRIES! So rich! The bottle is now gone, so I will need to head back to Cost Plus for another. Thanks to Jaton for a great pick, please keep them coming.

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  2. Mr.Gunter got a blog! nice homie, added you on my homies list at blog.mookiedesign.com

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  3. good god you have a blog?!!?

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  4. I found a bottle of Bogle 2006 Merlot...is it worth anything, or just to keep for a special guest?

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