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; for August, some surprisingly disappointing wines.
• Bolla Soave Classico 2011 ($8, sample, 12%): Ordinarily, I don’t review wines that are spoiled. But I mention it here, because the Soave had none of the flavors it should have had (white fruit, almonds) – just a musty, booze-ish feel to it, probably from being shipped in the summer heat and is no reflection on the producer. So if you taste a wine that has a musty, booze-ish feel, throw it out. Unfortunately, since the wine business pays so little attention to educating consumers, hundreds of thousands of people will buy this and assume that’s what Soave tastes like.
• Scacciadiavoli Grechetto 2012 ($11, purchased, 12.5%): Bland and boring, with almost no flavors of any kind, and apparently targeted at the pinot grigio crowd. Otherwise, very old-fashioned -- the kind of wine people drink and say, "I don't like wine."
• Pierre Archambault Chinon 2011 ($13, purchased, 12.5%): Disappointing, but probably because I love cheap Chinon (cabernet franc from the Loire in France) and expect more. Lots of violet on the nose and subdued black fruit, which is a Chinon trademark, but the middle was a little empty, and $13 makes it a problematic value.
• Sauvion Vouvray 2011 ($10, purchased, 12%): White wine from the Loire in France made with chenin blanc that is sweet without any acid to balance it, though it does have a little flowery chenin character. Another disappointment; cheap chenin is usually much better than this.
Oh-for-four. Bummer. But I love the honesty in this line, "Otherwise, very old-fashioned -- the kind of wine people drink and say, 'I don't like wine.'"
Posted by: Steve | August 30, 2013 at 10:10 AM