Ethereal and Haunting. . .

And that’s just the label.

Girlfriend uncorked a winner of a wine on Leeser’s birthday: the Bogle Phantom, a deep and luscious blend of Petite Syrah, Zinfandel and Mourvedre. I have no clue what the Mourvedre grape is, or how to manipulate this keyboard to put the accent mark over the first e, but the other two are my favs, for big flavor and spice. And the Mourvedre only makes up a fraction of the blend, 2 percent. Fifty-nine Pets, 39 Zin. That’s the percentage breakdown, and it’s inspired.

We all sniffed, smiled happily, slurped, and smiled some more. Yeah baby! Jammy, hints of black pepper, berries all over the place, and radiating heat. “Let’s get us a case of this,” Birthday Girl drawled. We liked that idea.

Alas, the Phantom proved as elusive as its name. Like the desperately needed leadership of this country, it was nowhere to be found. Invisible, vanished, gone with the wine. I mean wind. Andie tried Hyvee Liquors, where she’d stumbled across the bottle we had just ravaged. No luck. “We won’t have any more until next March,” said the horrible horrible bad-news-delivering clerk.

Gomer’s was no more helpful. Neither was Red-X. Even Lukas Liquors said “Eh,” explaining that its allotment of nine cases had jumped off the shelves in two months. Well, GEEZ why didn’t somebody TELL us Bogle had slipped yet another winner into the mix? We’d have filled our cellar months ago!

Bogle, for those of you not familiar, is a respected family producer of wines, with an always-yummy Petite Syrah and a very good Chardonnay. Bogle, in fact, is the reason I drink Petite Syrah. Such taste! Such value! Wines averaging about $10 a bottle, and both the Chardonnay and PS are always worth it, always worth much more, verily I say to you.

The Phantom is a bit more pricey, but still affordable, at $15 to $17 a bottle. And quite lovely, its stark black label splashed with gold, drawing the eye – and drawing the attention of Andie, which is the salient point of this observation. I wonder who came up with the label? (“Bogle” itself is a word of Scottish origin that means a friendly spirit, or phantom. I learned this from the Phantom’s cork.)

More importantly, I wonder who created this lip-smacking blend? What sun-kissed winemaker thought this one up? And why did no one clue me in a year or two ago?????Part of the Phantom’s yumminess doubtless derives from its 20 months of aging in American oak, which adds a grand touch of toastiness and vanilla. There are other herbs dancing lightly on the palate -- some tasters have discerned eucalyptus, and there’s a hint of cinnamon that appears after the wine has breathed for a while. Mostly, though, it’s berries in a big way: boysenberry, blackberry, maybe a little cherry and strawberry. And it’s nicely structured: intense, without being overpowering. Much like me, as a matter of fact, but with more universal appeal. And color.

The Phantom (again like me!) will certainly benefit from aging. This means it will get even BETTER! If you can find it to taste it. It’s the 2003 vintage that is out there now, in ever-diminishing quantities. Be vigilant in your search, because it’s worth it. You see, while Andie was fruitlessly ringing up all our favorite winesellers, I was searching industriously online. At a site called Bevmo.com, I located and promptly ordered every bottle of Phantom available. If it’s not a scam, those 11 elusive bottles will brighten our doorstep within the week.

It’s been a while since I had such an immediate, positive response to a wine, which overshadowed another favorite, the Guenoc Petite Syrah, ordered to accompany our tasty birthday repast at Pot Pie. We slipped the Phantom in in a sippy cup, unwilling to wait until after dinner to guzzle more of it. No one saw our little sleight-of-mouth, cuz, ya know, it was the PHANTOM.