What's in My Glass Wednesdays! 2008 Vouvray (Chenin Blanc) by Barton & Guestier

Here's a wine that you can find everywhere!  And it's... thrifty... and it's French!  "Vouvray" (said voo-vray) is the name of the region in France, and their white specialty is the grape variety, Chenin Blanc.  Some people aren't big fans of Chenin Blanc (some people think it's boring...), but then again some people think Pinot Grigio (Pinot Gris) is boring.  ANYWAY - I like this wine.  It's always been of reasonable quality every time I bought it and it's very affordable.  With no further ado...

The D-2010 Scale 

Vouvray (Chenin Blanc) by Barton & Guestier (Loire Valley, France)

Appearance (10 points possible): Pale lemon yellow color.  Clear. - 10 points

Aroma/Bouquet (20 points possible): Green apple, pear, slight pineapple, vanilla, and caramel. - 16 points

Taste (10 points possible): Semi-sweet, medium-bodied white wine with crisp acidity.  Green apple flavor explodes from the glass.  Very smooth in mouthfeel.  The finish is extremely intense and lingers for a very long time. - 5 points

Balance (5 points possible): There's a lot of features of this wine that really stick out at you, so it's not completely balanced (in my humble opinion).  It seems choppy, but is still pleasant. - 3 points

Finish (5 points possible): Very, very intense in flavor.  The sweetness seems to linger on your tongue and give you this sweet/sour sensation as you continue drinking it.  Definitely need to keep this wine chilled.  Fun flavors though, especially as the wine lingers - you get a nice caramel note - and they linger forever. - 5 points

Total Points: 89

Overall Thought: "Johnny Depp" believed that this wine was overly oaked and not integrated properly.  I cannot really confirm or deny that.  You definitely don't get a very strong oak aroma, but I can see why he thinks that on the palate. Again, for the price, I'm never disappointed in this wine.  It's a nice change from the New World, American style.  And it's not every day you get to taste Chenin Blanc. It's also a good white wine pick for a hot, summer day.

Food Pairings:  We drank this as an aperitif.  But it would pair nicely with some Brie (soft) cheese or light desserts.

Cost: $11

Splurge Factor (out of 4): 1 - Let's face it - $11 for a quality wine is a good deal.  :)  And it's an import, so drink up and try something new.  :)

Where to buy: I've found this wine everywhere that I move to.  Barton & Guestier are pretty well distributed.  If you want to check out more about the brand, see their website.