Bad Label, Good Wine

B&G's Bistro Wine Chardonnay sells for only $9 a bottle but tastes like it costs a lot more. Just try to overlook the label

By Nick Passmore

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I normally avoid wines with hokey labels or overly cute names—it seems like a sure invitation to hangover. But, in spite of violating both of these conditions, Bistro Wine Chardonnay is a surprisingly good wine. The offending label in question depicts two beret-adorned Frenchmen imbibing in front of a café. At least, thank goodness, one of them doesn't have a baguette or any other seemingly unavoidable French cliché, clutched under his arm. But try to ignore it. This offering comes from an organization, Barton & Gustier (B&G), that enjoys a long and well-deserved reputation for producing very decent value wines.

To anyone with a passing acquaintance with Bordeaux, the name Barton should be familiar. They are one of those Franco-Irish families that have been involved in the wine and cognac trade between the west coast of France and England and Ireland since the 18th century—think of Lynch, as in Lynch-Barges, and Hennessey.

Thomas Barton of Curraghmore, Ireland, founded the négociant house Barton and Gustier in 1725 and the business remained in the family until 1986 when control passed to Joseph E. Seagram & Sons. It was subsequently absorbed by the British drinks conglomerate Diageo (DEO) in 2001, though Anthony Barton still owns Ch. Léoville-Barton in St-Julien.

Earthy, Flinty Minerality

Here B&G has crafted a terrific value white, the Bistro Wine Chardonnay 2006 ($9) from the Languedoc in southwest France. People have been predicting good things from this vast region for years but it has rarely lived up to expectation. The Bistro Wine Chardonnay, however, is an exception. No new-world oak bomb here, but a charming chardonnay that's packed with an earthy, flinty minerality. I never would have believed that I would use the term "elegant" to describe a $9 wine, but here it is appropriate.

On consideration, it occurs to me that perhaps I am being too harsh about the name and label. It is the sort of marketing ploy that will put off the wine aficionado but should attract the more casual drinker, and that's unfortunate … for the aficionado, of course, because he or she will be missing out on a good thing. So, if the two caricature Français, replete with their black berets, can help sell this terrific wine, good luck to them!

WOW Rating:
When to Drink: Now
Breathing/Decanting: Not necessary
Food Pairing: Chicken, seafood, light pasta
Grapes: 100% chardonnay
Appellation: Vin de Pays d'Oc Region: Languedoc
Country: France
Price: $9
Availability: Good

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Nick Passmore is an independent wine writer and consultant based in New York. For five years he contributed a widely read monthly wine column to Forbes.com, in addition to which his work has appeared in such publications as Forbes, Discover, Town & Country, the Robb Report, the Wine Enthusiast, Saveur, Sky, and Golf Connoisseur. He is currently Artisanal Editor for Four Seasons magazine and contributes the Nick Passmore: Wine of the Week column to BusinessWeek.com. He is also a judge at the widely respected annual Critics' Challenge wine competition.