Bogle Bourbon Barrel Aged Petite Sirah 2017 Clarksburg, California, USA 75cl

Bogle Vineyards is a family farming story, six generations working the land around Clarksburg in California’s Sacramento River Delta. The family have long been associated with darker, bolder varieties, and Petite Sirah is among their signatures, so this special bottling plays to a real strength.

The wine takes that dense, inky Petite Sirah and rests it in charred bourbon barrels. It is a deliberately characterful approach, using the spent barrels to layer sweet spice and toast over the grape’s naturally muscular frame. The result is a red that wears its influences openly and makes no apology for being big.

The 2017 vintage in this part of California was warm and generous, and the fruit shows it. At 16.5% alcohol this is an unashamedly full-bodied wine, rich and warming rather than restrained, and a little bottle age has helped knit the parts together.

Expect concentrated blackberry and blueberry, a swirl of vanilla, caramel and baking spice from the bourbon barrels, and a long, sweet-edged finish. The tannins are firm but coated in ripe fruit, giving a plush, mouth-filling texture that lingers well after the sip.

This is a wine for cold evenings and bold food. Pour it with smoky barbecue, grilled steak, sticky ribs, a rich beef stew or a mature hard cheese, and give it a little air before serving. It is a talking point as much as a drink, best shared with people who like their reds with real presence. It is not a subtle wine, and it does not try to be, which is exactly why its fans keep coming back to it.