Bogle Vineyards has been, for more than a decade, perhaps the pre-eminent cheap wine producer in the United States. The wines are not just well made, but have style and quality far exceeding the $10 that they cost. Bogle has been a mainstay of the $10 Hall of Fame since I started doing it for the Advocate nine years ago.
It’s with that perspective that I chose the Bogle sauvingon blanc ($9, purchased, widely available) this week. That’s because Patty Bogle, who married Chris Bogle almost 40 years ago and was a key part of the winery’s success, died last month. What better tribute than one of the family’s wines, and one of my especial favorites?
Don’t expect a New Zealand-style, over-the-top sauvignon blanc. This vintage is softer than that, with less citrus and more of a California-style grassy aroma. There is lots of tropical fruit in the middle (papaya?) and a long, if sometimes uneven, finish. That’s probably because the wine is nearing the end of its shelf life, for the 2010 should be out soon. I drank this with shrimp and grit cakes; it was close to perfect.