2008 Guy Saget Vouvray

A first review of a "Vouvray" on this blog-- I have been wanting to try this for quite some time.  This 2008 Guy Saget Vouvray was a decent wine.  Although nothing spectacular that hits it out of the ballpark; for the price and quality, I thought this was a good value.

Definitely aromas of apples, pears, and melons were present.  As the wine sits a bit, honey became more apparent. A completely dry wine, it is not.  Slightly sweet at taste, and well balanced; however the finish was slightly weak.  This one reminds me of a Sauvignon Blanc as it has some hints of citrus.  

Overall I am going to give this one 3.5 stars.  I purchased this one at the Wine Market Store in Ebisu Gardens.  A interesting find for me as the store clerk said they were out of all Vouvray's; however I managed to pick this one from their sale bin.  I paid Y1,500, where it was originally priced at Y1,890.

Summary: Medium-body, Chenin Blanc.  

Rating: 3.5 Stars
Purchase Cost: Y1,500 (Ebisu Gardens, Wine Market Store)

Other Japanese Retailers: Y1,680 (Rakuten website)

USA Retail Price: $9.95
Food:  Carnitas, and Mild Mexican soup

Chateau Grand Tayac 2008 Margaux

A nice Bordeaux with an interesting nose. A slight scent of mint, along with pine wood and berries, the aroma was very nice.  


The first swirl was a bit hard to distinct specific flavors, but the finish was long and very smooth. Along with the berries, and wood the second sniff had a hint of nutmeg and cinnamon.  On to the second swirl... I am still having some difficulty distinguishing the taste, but the balance and texture is very nice.  


Overall I really like this wine.  I am going to rate this one 4 stars. The Chateau Grand Tayac 2008 Margaux has a nice, long finish.  A well balanced wine, which I would categorized as a medium body.

Summary: A really good wine.  I could not find another retailer/price for this particular vintage, but seems somewhat on par for the overall quality.
Rating: 4 Stars
Purchase Cost: Y3,900 (Nissin World Delicatessen Groceries)
Other Japanese Retailers: NA
USA Retail Price: $50
Food: Steak, potatoes, and broccoli (went really nicely with the meal)

2008 "Napa Station" Sauvignon Blanc

Monday's are usually never fun-- In fact and sadly enough, I don't even remember the last Monday I have really enjoyed. However, today is different. Today, I am very proud to announce a "Happy Monday!"
Why? Well, being that today is a Monday and secondly because it is the first official wine review on this blog; I can now say that today is a very "Happy Monday."

 In retrospect, I probably should have picked a better wine, like some fancy 2005 Bordeaux to kick off this blog, but like I said I am just an ordinary wine drinker that happens to live in Tokyo.
So here I begin the first wine review and I must say that tonight's dinner meal did not make choosing wine easy. The dinner theme tonight was Thai food. As starters I had some homemade Tom Kai Gai soup (which is basically a coconut based soup flavored with chicken stock, lemongrass, and lime) followed by a spicy Thai green curry with some fragrant Thai rice (again coconut base; however with a ginger and lemongrass overlay). How in the world do you pair wine with this food? Well, I honestly have no idea, so I chose a Sauvignon Blanc.

This evening's choice is a 2008 "Napa Station" Sauvignon Blanc. This wine had a citrus smell (grapefruit) with some accent of apricot or tropical fruit, where the color tone had a crisp, shiny golden hue. The first sip had the classic Sauvignon Blanc taste, but lacked a serious "punch" if you know what I mean. The overall balance seemed okay (good acidity), but the depth to the wine was medium at best. I wouldn't say it was a a great bottle, but it was a good weekday table wine. Unfortunately, the Thai food was a mistake because after eating the curry I basically lost all my taste buds -- not good for conducting an inaugural wine review. Anyhow.

Overall and out of 5 stars, (5 being amazing, 0 being something equivalent to Listerine mouthwash) I would give this 2 and 1/2 stars. Price had an influence on this rating because I did not think the price matched the overall value. This bottle was purchased from the Kawasaki Costco store at Y1,298. If this were maybe Y900-Y1,000 range then I would have rated this with 3 to 3.5 stars.

Summary: Okay Sauvignon Blanc (nice color), but lacked great depth
Rating: 2 and 1/2 stars
Purchase Cost: Y1,298 (Vendor-- Kawasaki Costco)
Other Japanese Retailers: I could not find
USA Retail Price: Around $14.95
Food: Thai Curry and Tom Kai Gai Soup (would not recommend)