Something Different

Tonight I tried something a little different and a little bit out of my zone of preference. Our local grocery store had a 20% off coupon for wines and I wanted to take advantage of those prices. Fortunately, this store offers a good selection of wines. I spied this one in what I call the “Weird White” section (the store calls it "misc. whites"). It’s Columbia Crest’s 2010 Grand Estates Moscato— $8. Made up of 75% Muscat Canelli, 15% Morio Muskat, and 10% Black Muscat, it’s described as a semi-sweet wine that “can be enjoyed as an aperitif or as a refreshing complement to fruit salad or light cheeses.” With those grapes, it sounded just off the beaten track enough that I had to try it.

Black Muscat Grapes

Pale yellow in color, this slightly effervescent wine has pretty aromas of sweet flowers, lychee, and peach with flavors of tangerine, peach, with a lychee kicker. True to its description, it’s semi-sweet but it has enough acidity to hold it’s own with spicier dishes as well as being delicious with lighter fare. It would also be great to sip on its own. I’m heading back to the store to pick up a couple more bottles.

Jiggledy Returns

Is it possible I haven’t posted since late October 2010? This is exactly why I could never write for money. I’m the kind of writer that has to be “inspired” or at least “in the mood.” (The idea of “forced” creativity even when it comes to blogging about wine makes me want to curl up into a fetal position and whimper.) Since I have had a lot of very good to great wines in the past few months, inspiration hasn’t been a problem. But being in the mood to write has. And while I have visited my poor, lonely blog during this dry spell and, on occasion, longed wistfully for something to get me to sit down and put thoughts to screen, it hasn’t happened.

But today I picked up a bottle of Bogle 2007 Phantom, California for $15.99 at Costco.  (It regularly sells for around $20.) I’ve always wanted to try the Phantom because it gets a lot of good press and I’ve been curious about the hype. Bogle’s Petite Sirah—an inexpensive, robust red is a perennial favorite of mine vintage after vintage so I figured why not? I picked it up and the light bulb went on. This was the perfect impetus to get back to my blog. So here I am for better or worse.

Released in August 2009, the 2007 Phantom is a blend of 53% Petite Sirah, 44% Zinfandel, and 3% Mourvèdre (the percentages do change slightly from year to year). It hails from Clarksburg, Lodi and Amador, California.  Dark, almost opaque purple in the glass, this wine has tantalizing aromas of dark fruit and white pepper—something I crave in a Petite Sirah. Nicely balanced cherry, blackberry, and vanilla flavors are slightly tinged with oak.  I expected the tannins to be bigger but wasn’t disappointed that although firm they were softer than I anticipated. With a smooth, slightly peppery finish, Phantom was easy to drink yet just complex enough to be interesting—definitely a gem, particularly at the Costco price.