A bold new look for a reliably luscious red wine
An old reliable vineyard has a new look—and it means these bottles are flying off the shelf.
Juggernaut Hillside Cabernet Sauvignon California
$21.99
14.5% alcohol
PLCB Item #83177
Sale price through Aug. 4, regularly $24.99
It takes more than good grapes nowadays for a wine to earn market share; it takes some creativity in packaging as well. This California cabernet sauvignon makes an excellent example of how a bold new look can help a wine compete.
Juggernaut is a line of wines produced by Bogle Family Vineyards on the outskirts of Sacramento. Their winery and vineyards were established in 1968 on Merritt Island on the northern edge of the Sacramento River Delta that feeds San Francisco Bay. This flat and fertile area is dominated by vineyards, but since this area is far warmer than neighboring Napa County to the west, its grapes are better suited for cheap and cheerful wines, most of which ends up being sold to mass market wineries and packaged in boxes or jugs. Bogle has aimed to raise the bar, and has earned a reputation for sound and well-structured full-bodied red wines. In the process, they helped to establish Clarksburg as a respected American Viticultural Area, or AVA.
You can still find Bogle’s reliably luscious red wines in Pennsylvania stores under the family’s standard label. However, their newer Juggernaut wines are the ones jumping off the shelf thanks to their eye-catching label art, with each conjuring a ravenous predator in the wild. The original cabernet sauvignon sporting a lion mid-roar is sourced from nearby hillside vineyards at higher elevations. Vineyards on slopes tend to produce smaller crops per vine and their grapes are often smaller and more intensely flavored. The resulting wines like this one are concentrated and rich, with dense flavors of black cherry compote and blueberry pie. Don’t be fooled by the fierce feline avatar, though. This wine purrs more like a kitten on the palate with soft, velvety texture and a hint of subliminal sweetness.
Also available at:
WineWorks in Marlton, $16.98
Roger Wilco in Pennsauken, $16.98
Canal’s in Mt. Ephraim, $16.99