Tag Archives: sauvignon blanc

Wine review: Domaine de Chevaunet Touraine 2010

In the old days, sauvignon blanc from the Loire region of France was among the best sauvignon blanc in the world. It was the original anti-chardonnay: crisp, fresh, minerally, and not much fruit. Then the modern wine business happened, and Loire's wines became, if not irrelevant, a lot less important. New Zealand became the predominant sauvignon blanc region, and the rest of the world mostly copied what New Zealand was doing.

This always depressed the Wine Curmudgeon; as much as I like New Zealand's wines, I miss the old style Loire whites. Some of them are still around, of course, but they cost $30 and often difficult to find. The less expensive ones, if not complete knockoffs of New Zealand's grapefruit style, have still morphed into something they never used to be.

That's the dilemma I found myself in with the Chevaunet ($10, purchased). There is nothing wrong with it — clean, well made, pleasing and refreshing. It's nice by itself, and shines as a food wine, especially with some shrimp marinated in olive oil and garlic. But there is too much grapefruit and lime fruit and not enough minerality to mark it as traditional Loire wine. So I'll keep looking for Loire the way I remember it, and let you make your own judgments about this.

Wine of the week: Wente Sauvignon Blanc Louis Mel Livermore Valley 2010

WenteThe Wente family has been a mainstay of California winemaking for four generations; patriarch C.H. Wente learned the business from Charles Krug, one of the industry's pioneers, in the late 19th century. There is even a specific kind of chardonnay grape, the Wente clone, named for the family, developed about a century ago.

So why don't you hear more about Wente wines? For one thing, their winery is in Livermore, hardly as sexy as Napa or Sonoma. For another, their wines can be very traditional in style, which doesn't appeal to the mass of critics who follow California wine and think old fashioned is a cocktail. But the Wente wines are always well made and always offer value, particularly at the Wine Curmudgeon's price point.

The Louis Mel ($10, purchased) is an excellent example of that quality and value. This is a pleasant midweek wine that worked wonderfully with oven fried chicken and would go well with any grilled chicken or white fish. It's not overly complex — just some citrus and pear — but that's not a problem. It's actually nice to taste a sauvignon blanc that is more restrained than the grapefuit puckerers so often found at this price, even from California. All in all, a more than solid wine for the price.

Wine of the week: Dry Creek Fume Blanc 2010

The Wine Curmudgeon tries to practice what he preaches. I needed a couple of bottles of wine for dinner, but didn't want to make a special trip to a wine store. So I looked for wine at the grocery store, using my advice about buying wine for dinner.

The result was the Dry Creek ($10, purchased), which comes from a standout California producer whose dry chenin blanc has long been one of my favorites. I wanted sauvignon blanc for dinner (oven fried chicken), saw this on the shelf, knew that I liked the chenin, and so bought it.

The fume, which is sauvignon blanc under another name, is made in the classic California sauvignon blanc style, with grassy aromas and front, and a tropical middle. Don't expect any big, New Zealand-style grapefruit; the wine has some citrus, but is more restrained than its Kiwi cousins. The finish is a little disjointed, as if it doesn't know how to end; all in all, though, it's a heck of a bargain for $10.

Serve this with most white meat dishes, as well as salads. It would also, as befits any sauvignon blanc, pair with shrimp and other boiled seafood.

Wine of the week: Yellow + Blue Sauvignon Blanc 2009

The Wine Curmudgeon has long enjoyed the Yellow + Blue wines, which come in a 1-liter box (one-third more than a bottle) and offer tremendous value. So why haven't I written about the wines in almost two years? Blame it on the vagaries of the three-tier system, which has made the wines very difficult to find in Dallas (and I don't write about wines that I can't find here).

Since this post is about the wine and not the three-tier system, we'll skip the rant on the latter. Just know that the sauvignon blanc ($12, purchased) was well worth searching for. It's Chilean sauvignon blanc the way the Chileans used to make it, before they decided to raise prices and knock off New Zealand sauvignon blanc.

Look for more lime than grapefruit, with a long mineral finish. This is a very well done wine, especially for the price, and an example of what Y+B can do — assuming it can find a way to get into stores. I drank this with a Cornish hen that had been split, marinated with olive oil and lemon juice, and broiled, and it was an excellent match.

One other thing: Matt Cain, who runs Y + B, would fuss if I did not mention that this wine is made with organic grapes and that the box is a Tetra Pak, which produces a significantly smaller carbon footprint than a wine bottle. Which are good things, of course, but wouldn't make much difference if Cain's company made lousy wine. Which it doesn't.

Wine of the week: Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc 2010

Villa Maria Private Bin Sauvignon Blanc ? The one thing I didn't like about the Villa Maria ($13, sample): It's not $9 any more. Stupid weak dollar.

? Best thing about the wine besides the taste: The screwcap, of course.

? So what did it taste like? It didn't has much grapefruit as most New Zealand wines, but you could still taste citrus. The middle was a bit short and without any New Zealand-like tropical flavors, but there was a very long mineral finish. In some respects, it was more French in style.

? What do you pair this with? The web site suggests green bean and potato salad, which must be a New Zealand thing. Otherwise, almost any shellfish, grilled or roast chicken and the Wine Curmudgeon's favorite, spaghetti with clam sauce (though I use canned clams).

? What's with this bullit-style layout for the wine of the week? Trying something different. Not sure that it would work every week, but it was fun to do this time.

Wine review: Souverain Sauvignon Blanc 2009

2008 Souverain Sauvignon Blanc Alexander ValleyThe Wine Curmudgeon has never felt comfortable with sauvignon blanc that has been aged in oak. Too often, the oak covers up the varietal character and the sauvignon blanc ends up tasting like chardonnay. Which seems to be defeating the purpose of sauvignon blanc.

Plus, Souverain inhabits one of those gray areas in the wine business that often makes it difficult to figure out what its wine will taste like. It's a grocery store brand owned by one of the multi-nationals scrambling to shed expenses, so one never knows what the bosses will tell the winemaker about how much he can spend.

So I was not expecting much. But the Souverain ($14, sample) reminded me, as wines so often do, not to judge them before I drink them. It was much better than I thought it would be, with a bit of richness missing from most California sauvignon blanc. In addition, the oak doesn't obscure the Bordeaux-like sauvignon blanc fruit (less citrus and more citrus zest). Nicely done; serve it chilled on its own or with white meat dishes that have light sauces.

Mini-reviews 20: Stone Hill, Souverain, Spy Valley, Vertus

Reviews of wines that don ?t need their own post, but are worth noting for one reason or another. Look for it on the final Friday of each month (Thursday this month because of the holiday).

? Stone Hill Vignoles 2009 ($16, sample): Lots of pineapple, but not all that sweet with a long peach pit finish. An excellent example of what can be done with this hybrid grape from one of Missouri’s top producers.

? Souverain Sauvignon Blanc 2009 ($14, sample): This wine is one of the reasons why I love wine, and it has nothing to do with whether I “liked” it or not. The Souverain is done in a style I don’t usually care for, oaked sauvignon blanc, but it’s so well done that I can appreciate what it offers and recommend it.

? Spy Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2009 ($18, purchased): More wonderfullness from what may be the best sauvignon blanc in the world. Look for even less citrus and more tropical fruit than usual, which is saying something since Spy Valley is among the least citrus-y of the New Zealand sauvignon blancs.

? Bodegas Iranzo Vertus 2003 ($15, sample): Tempranillo from a less well-known part of Spain, and well worth the effort. More fresh cherry fruit than a Rijoa, lots of bright Spanish acidity and even a bit of herb tucked in. Highly recommended.