Why Juggernaut Hillside Cabernet Sauvignon is our wine of the week

Juggernaut Hillside Cabernet Sauvignon California

21,99 €

14.5% alcohol

PLCB Article No. 83177

Sale price until August 4, regular $24.99

These days, it takes more than just good grapes to make a wine stand out in the marketplace; you have to be creative with packaging too. This Californian Cabernet Sauvignon is a great example of how a bold new look can help a wine stay competitive.

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 because it is much warmer here than neighboring Napa County to the west, the grapes are better suited to cheap and rich wines, most of which are sold to bulk wineries and packaged in cases or jugs. Bogle has set out to raise the bar and has earned a reputation for solid and well-structured, full-bodied reds, and in the process they have helped establish Clarksburg as a respected American Viticultural Area (AVA).

Bogle’s reliably delicious reds can still be found in Pennsylvania stores under the family’s standard label. Their newer Juggernaut wines, however, are the ones that jump off the shelves thanks to their striking label art, each one evoking a ravenous predator in the wild. The original Cabernet Sauvignon, featuring a roaring lion, comes from nearby vineyards at higher elevations. Vineyards on hillsides tend to produce smaller yields per vine, and their grapes are often smaller and more intensely flavored. The resulting wines, like this one, are concentrated and rich, with dense aromas of black cherry compote and blueberry pie. Don’t let the wild feline avatar fool you, though. This wine purrs more like a kitten on the palate, with soft, velvety texture and a hint of underlying sweetness.

Also available at:

WineWorks in Marlton, $16.98

www.wineworksonline.com/

Roger Wilco in Pennsauken, $16.98

www.rwilco.com/

Canal’s in Mt. Ephraim, $16.99

mycanals.com/