Another Lost Angel

"Oh, Lord why doesn't this come in a bigger bottle?"
--- Honest first words upon sipping a glass of Lost Angel 2006 Petite Syrah

It's been a while since we killed this bottle of Lost Angel. I can't remember what we had for dinner or even if we had dinner. It might have been a wine entree night. But when I took my first sip of this petite syrah, I was hooked. I wanted another. I wanted it intravenously. Scratch that. Intravenously would not allow me to taste it. I wanted to funnel it. It needed it to come in a barrel so I could do keg stands. Wait. Do wine drinkers DO keg stands?

I don't claim any sort of wine snobbery. I'm a beer drinker by birth - I believe there are still trace elements of Schlitz coursing through my veins or attached to my DNA (thanks, Dad!). I say this as a matter of disclaimer. Just because I like a particular bottle of wine (or beer for that matter) does not necessarily mean that you will like it or even that it's a good bottle of wine. You should never take my reviews as gospel. I've been known to drink Boone's Farm out of a paper bag and to have chanted "What's the word?" "THUNDERBIRD!" Oof, just disclosed my inner monologue...moving along now.

All that being said, I do like the Lost Angel 2006 Petite Syrah (Sirah). According to the tasting notes, the varietal was harvested in September 2006 and aged for 12 months in neutral oak barrels. One good whiff is all it takes to identify the raspberries and cherries as well as some floral notes. But it was its taste that got to me. I could taste the cherries and raspberries, but there were some richer, darker elements as well, chocolate primary among them. I half-expected to have this wine disappoint me on the finish - there's gonna be some acidic aftertaste or it's gonna burn all the way down. I was so happy this wine dope slapped my cynical nature. It had a medium finish wherein there were some subtle spices and tobacco and a slight earthy flavor just like the tasting notes mentioned would be there.

In short, I like this wine and for the $11 I think you should go out, find a bottle and give it a try. It's a nice casual wine that can be opened any time. Hopefully, you too will wish it came in a bigger bottle.

A little too acidic for me

First let me begin that I have had other wines from Bogle Vineyards and enjoyed them very much. In fact, one of my go-to, reasonably priced red wines is Bogle's Old Vine Zinfandel. So when at the store this weekend I saw Bogle's 2004 Petite Sirah, I decided to pick it up. It was also recommended by a reader over on Sarah and the Goon Squad, so between it being from a favorite Vineyard and a recommendation, it seemed like a no-brainer. Maybe not....

Yesterday after work I uncorked the bottle and let it breathe for oh, I don't know, three minutes before pouring a glass. I was a little taken aback with the first sip. The OVZ is pretty smooth. This wasn't. Granted, I had just eaten a BBQ chip, so I decided not to hold it against the wine. I waited a bit, had some water, finished cooking dinner when Mr. Tall Guy asked if he could get in on the bottle. Sure! So I poured another glass and off we go to dinner. Again, my choice of food pairings wasn't the best. This morning I checked the recommendations of the website. "Try this unique wine with rich meat dishes of lamb, pork or game and their hearty sauces." Yeah, mac and cheese and a grilled chicken sandwich probably wasn't what they had in mind. (hey, no judgements! It's what I had in the house!)

The first thing that struck me about the wine is when I poured it was the color. It's a very rich, dark plum color. The first sip was somewhat acidic and they didn't get much better than that. In fact it covered any fruity undertones that may have been there. I'm a bit of a wine novice, so I don't have all the jargon, but Mr. Tall Guy wasn't a fan of it either. In fact we both stopped after our first glass, and that just never happens. Who knows? Maybe it was an off night for us. I sealed it up what was left of the bottle and will try again tonight.

I paid $12.99 for the bottle and will probably pass on it in the future.