I’m not sure why, but I hadn’t really registered Chilean Sauvignon Blanc much before. I guess whenever I’d thought of Chilean wines I’d always been thinking mostly of the reds. From great value but well made Cabernet Sauvignons and Merlots all the way to a wine we’d done a while back on NWTW, Carmenere. Seems daft now that I hadn’t thought much about the whites.
Sauvignon Blanc is Chile’s number one white grape by plantings. Chardonnay’s pretty big too, but it’s the Sauvignon Blanc we’re worried about this week.
It’s grown in the cooler sites in Chile, so effectively up in the mountains or on the coast. Remember Chile’s geography (well, to a point) goes Pacific Ocean, Coastal Mountains, Central Valley, Andes. So Ocean, mountains, valley, mountains. Plenty of places for Sauvignon Blanc to grow.
The style is definitely New World. In a similar kind of thing to New Zealand, you’re going to get a very fruity wine. In a bid to keep the style and avoid under ripe flavours the grapes are left to get pretty ripe on the vine. So expect stone or even tropical fruit, as well as a relatively chunky amount of alcohol in there.
Basically, don’t have too much to do the morning after your tasting session!
Cheers
Other posts in #NWTW Week 36
#NWTW Week 36: Sauvignon Blanc from Chile (Part One)
#NWTW Week 36: Sauvignon Blanc from Chile (Part Two)
#NWTW Week 36: Old World or New World?
Photo References:
The stunning coastal mountains (picture from the Telegraph)
