Tasting - Boutinot El Viejo Del Valle Chardonnay

Arguably the cheapest and the worst wine I have tried came from Chile and was named after a meeting with a elder man in a valley. 

Name: Boutinot El Viejo Del Valle Chardonnay

Variety: Chardonnay

Region: Valle de Maule

Country: Chile

Year: 2019

Price: $8

Critic Review: The only Sauvignon Gris in our list – it's an aromatic cousin of Sauvignon Blanc - think somewhere between Chile and New Zealand. A fresh aroma of waxy lemons, lime and grapefruit with a hint of frangapani. Fresh and clean on the palate with invigorating acidity.This has bags of character and personality, it really impresses in the glass with food. Try it with a variety of dishes such as scallops with mushrooms and white wine sauce, BBQ garlic prawns or salmon, grilled oysters, and poached white fish with summer salads containing parsley, pepper or lemon.

Wine Folly Review: The cooler Costa areas is where you’ll find the best Chardonnay.  The most popular style is buttery from oak aging, and comes from Casablanca and San Antonio Valleys. The

outer regions of Limarí and Aconcagua offer the most minerality and are uniquely salty.The common tastes are: baked apple, pineapple, starfruit, butter and flan.
[pg. 175, 2].

Personal Review: This one was incredibly hard to drink. It overwhelmed my mouth with bitterness making it incredibly hard to swallow. I addition to being extremely bitter, it was also extremely sweet making it taste like a really sweet sour apple that is clearly not ripe, but dipped in sugar. Probably would never buy this wine again. 

Works Cited

1. “El Viejo del Valle Sauvignon gris 2019 75cl,” Spirit Store. [Online]. Available: https://spiritstore.co.uk/el-viejo-del-valle-sauvignon-gris-2019-75cl. [Accessed: 29-Jan-2023].

2. M. Puckette and J. Hammack, Wine folly: The Essential Guide to Wine. New York: Avery, 2