This weekend we opened two wines that were both good and reasonably priced. One was a 2006 Bordeaux and the other a 2010 California Petite Syrah.
We love Bordeaux and drink it a lot. We also love Petite Syrah but don’t drink it a lot. There could be several reasons for this. It is not a very widespread varietal, and you don’t see it that often. Many people have probably never tried it. All we know is that every time we do open one we tend to like it very much. This was no exception and represents a great value. It’s also from one of our go to value producers.
The wines:
2006 Chateau Fongaban and 2010 Bogle Petite Syrah
First the 2006 Chateau Fongaban, from the Cotes de Castillon. This was deep purple out of the bottle and seemed a little closed down. The nose was subdued, but you could pull some fruit out of it after a while. On the palate the same dark fruit but in check, sort of held back. There was a little smokey quality to it, with a hint of pork fat. Full bodied, it still had some tannins standing out but they were not unpleasant. It was OK, but not great. We put in a vacuvin stopper and left it overnight.
The next day it was much better, with the fruit much more in play. Aromas came out it far more readily as well. Still full bodied it was smoother, and there was a cherry cough drop flavor in it, which was very pleasant. Definitely a wine you want to decant for a while.
This was about $15 or so, and at that price it is a good value. Decant it though and enjoy it more.
The next wine was the Bogle Petite Syrah. This is a varietal that never seems to disappoint us, and a producer that does the same. We love the 2009 Bogle Cabernet Sauvignon and have gone through cases of it. Checking in around $10, their wines are always worth the price and more. Bogle is in Clarksbug, California, almost due east of Napa and Sonoma. If you’re looking for a good bottle of wine around $10 they’re usually a good bet.
This wine was the 2010 Petite Syrah. It was really deep purple to black. There was an herbacious quality to the nose and palate which was very good, almost gave you the impression of a herb pizza, and we love pizza. There was plenty of fruit here too, and the wine was very rich. Excellent length as well, and plenty of glycerol. The fruit grew more pronounced in the glass, and the tannins were sweet and well integrated. This is just yummy.
Recommendations: try the Fongaban if you like Bordeaux and remember to decant it. Defintely try the Bogle. You just might discover a new varietal as well as a reliable producer. We will certainly be buying more. We’ll be buying more Petite Syrah in general.
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