I don’t even remember WHEN I picked up this bottle of wine, Bogle Phantom. Maybe last fall? I got it at Trader Joe’s and probably spent a little more than usual, like maybe $14? $16? It’s something that only comes out once a year and when it’s gone, it’s gone. At least that’s what my wine buddy at Trader Joe’s said.

This particular bottle is the 2009 vintage (I think the 2010 recently came out). With a preponderance of Old Vine Zin, I knew it wasn’t a summer wine. But we’ve had some cool nights recently and I had a winter squash baking off in the oven, so I thought it might be time to pop the cork.

To start — it is a beautiful dark purple. Opaque. Lush. Just a really pretty wine to look at. The scent reminds me of berries. It’s a full, round wine on the tongue — dry but not too tannic — definitely fruity. A hint of peppery. I really do love a good zinfandel.

I think this would work well with autumnal food — heavier pastas, pork, beef.

Standard caveat: This is a personal recommendation. Neither the Trader Joe’s nor Bogle folks know I exist and have provided neither product nor compensation for this endorsement. In fact, they’ll probably sue me if this ever gets in a search engine.