90+ Cellars Lot 208 Vouvray

Lot 208 Vouvray from 90+ Cellars is listed at 12.5% alcohol by volume, with Vouvray named as the region and California as the appellation. The name points to the Loire Valley's Chenin Blanc style, so expect that grape's profile: firm acidity, a chalky or stony mineral edge, and aromas that run from white flowers and straw to honey and ripe orchard fruit. The details provided don't say how dry or sweet this bottle is. Vouvray-style wines range from bone dry to noticeably off-dry, and at this modest alcohol level a touch of residual sugar is common. Treat the texture as medium-bodied, with little or no oak and no meaningful tannin. Chenin Blanc's high acidity is the main thing to plan around. It gives the wine a lifted, mouthwatering finish and lets it sit comfortably next to rich or salty food. It also means the wine can taste sharp when served too cold or without anything to eat. Roast chicken with pan juices, pork loin with apples, soft-rind cheeses such as Brie or goat cheese, and creamy mushroom dishes all suit it. If the wine turns out to carry some sweetness, it also handles mildly spiced Thai and Indian dishes, and sweet-and-sour sauces, better than most dry whites. Serve it chilled but not icy, around 46 to 50°F (8 to 10°C). That is roughly two hours in a home refrigerator, or about 30 minutes in an ice bucket. Colder than that mutes the honey and floral notes and pushes the acidity forward. A standard white wine glass with a moderate bowl is enough to gather the aromas. Decanting isn't necessary, though pouring it into a carafe for ten minutes can soften any sharpness in a wine this young. This reads as a bottle to drink soon after purchase. Loire Chenin Blanc can age for years in the best examples, but nothing in the details here suggests cellaring, and it is likely to be at its freshest over the next year or two.