2009 Cave des Vignerons de Saumur White Les Pouches

Chenin blanc can have a very pronounced, somewhat telltale aroma. Some people think it smells like wet dog. Others think it smells like skunk. I think it smells like stinky blue cheese. Not always, and it becomes more pronounced, I think, when winemaking practices are less than idea (or sanitary).

This chenin blanc from the Saumur region of the Loire Valley smells like blue cheese. But not too much. A fine gorgonzola, perhaps, as opposed to a stinky stilton. There is also a cool mineral aroma, almost musty. I'm not getting any fruit to speak of.

The wine is bone-dry on the palate, and very sour. I did make the mistake of having some ice cream before tasting, though I tried to cleanse my palate.  Sweet foods can make a dry wine taste overly sour and one-dimensional. So it could be that, but really I'm finding the wine quite thin in flavor, with some burning acidity. I can't really say whether it's balanced or not, because there's nothing there to balance.  I'll have ot retaste this wine sometime pre-ice cream and see if it's any better. Because right now it's kind of like a glass of ice water with fake lemon juice squeezed into it.

Vintage: 2009
Region: Saumur, Loire Valley, France
Grape: Chenin Blanc
Price: $15

2009 Celestin Blondeau Sauvignon Blanc Vin de Pays du Val de Loire

My wine class is discussing Loire wines, among others, this week so I'm...ahem...doing homework. I've had some lovely Loire wines in the past, including a 1989 Vouvray that I've probably mentioned before because it blew my socks off, or would have if I had been wearing any. I haven't had any real stinkers, but from what I understand, they are certainly out there.  The viticulture & vinification restrictions in some parts of the Loire aren't as strict as other regions of France (for example, Bordeaux, where you can only pick grapes with your left hand every second Thursday of the month; I'm exaggerating, but not by much). This had led to some sloppy winemaking and overcropping practices that have left some people with a sour (literally) taste in their mouthes when it comes to Loire wines.

This one likely isn't of superior class - for one thing it says "Sauvignon Blanc" on the bottle, which is rarely a good sign on a French wine. Those strict French wine laws generally discourage - and sometimes prohibit - use of the varietal name anywhere on the bottle. Which is why you'll often have absolutely no idea what kind of grape is in the bottle you're holding in your hand. They like it that way. This wine is also just a generic "Loire," not from any specific appellation within the region, which means the grapes could come from anywhere and the laws limiting crop yield and winemaking procedures are less strict.

It's a surprisingly deep green-yellow in the glass, and what may be effervescence, or may just be that I poured a little too vigorously.  The nose isn't leaping out of the glass at me, but it's pleasant enough. It's a little musty (not in a "corked" way, but just smells a little dusty, and there is some distinct brine on the nose as well, which I understand isn't uncommon for Loire wines.  Which is one of the reasons they pair so well with seafood, I imagine. There is also some fruit - dried apricot and and maybe some graprefruit rind as well.

On the palate, it's actually surprisingly lacking in acidity. I mean, it's not missing altogether but this is by no means a classic cool-climate sauvignon blanc. So it's tending towards flabby and the texture is a bit oily in the mouth. A touch bitter, though that gives way to a bit more acidity on the finish.  There isn't much fruit in the mouth or, really, much of anything. It's not disgusting, and it'll work fine for dinner tonight (shrimp in lemon and oregano vinaigrette), but it's not a wine I would hold up as a paragon of Loire winemaking.

Vintage: 2009
Grape: Sauvignon Blanc
Region: Loire Valley, France
Price: $13

2009 Domaine du Rin du Bois Touraine Sauvignon

I went to the website of the producers of this wine because I was intrigued by the words "vigneron independant" (or something like that - the bottle is in the fridge and the dog is on my lap and I'm not getting up to look). I thoroughly enjoyed browsing around the site, not only because of the amusing infelicities of translation ("the vineyard" became "the wineyard." I think I would like to have a wineyard.) I was also very impressed by the level of detail it gives regarding the viticulture and vinification of the wine. Everything from the training system of the vines to the bottling date of the finished wine. Based on their use of free run juice (the first juice to come out of the grape upon being lightly pressed), I expect this to be a tasty sauvignon blanc from the Loire Valley.

The wine is a medium-pale lemon yellow with a hint of green; not unusual for a sauvignon blanc. I can't get much aroma out of it (possibly because I sort of scorched some panko-crusted tilapia while making dinner and my apartment smells like a bad fish and chip shop). What I do get is green apple, but no cat pee, I'm pleased to report. In the mouth, it's pretty much a classic French sauvignon blanc, which is not at all a bad thing, though it's not something "special." The acid and alcohol in the wine are perfectly in balance, and the wine is pleasantly weighty, making it not a bad white wine to enjoy in winter. My biggest qualm would be a fairly high bitterness quotient. I think that's what got in the way of this wine's pairing with my dinner (once I scraped off the burned part). The tilapia was served with fennel tzatziki, and I think the bitterness of the wine and the bitterness of the yogurt in the sauce really clashed. But all in all, this is a very acceptable wine that I wouldn't hesitate to buy again, or to recommend with dinner, as long as you're not having yogurt....

Vintage: 2009
Grape: Sauvignon Blanc
Region: Touraine, Loire Valley
Price: $12
My rating: 87/100