Bogle

Californian cabernet sauvignon
$10.49 US @ Fred Meyer

I must confess I bought this for the name. I just love a few good rounds of boggle regularly.
Didn't play boggle this time, however, I shared this bottle with an American stranger named Jimmie at Rex's house during and after we blew open a large pinata filled with books, tapes, fireworks, candy, etc. I played a little palate-ball with some chile coated dried mango (from the pinata) and a slice of Sara Lee fieldberry pie fresh from the oven. The wine stood up to everything we threw at it. It parried especially well with the bottle-long political discussion the left-wing Canadian stranger (me) had with the left-wing American stranger (Jimmie). (A little too well as our host Rex made fun of us from the next room with wise cracks about the $700 billion bail-out and the Oval Office and other clever quips I'm proud to be the butt of.)

Overall: Decent value esp. with the dollar these days.
Rating: 3

-J. Floorburn