Chilean wine has seen a marked increase in volume and quality over the past few decades. Know globally for its impressive Cabernet Sauvignon and Carmenere, this country actually produces a wide variety of wines, including some breathtaking whites. In this article we’ll take a look at some of those.
Sauvignon Blanc is a pre-eminent white wine varietal, grown all over the world. You might think of the Loire Valley in France, or New Zealand, or coastal California. In Chile it was introduced back in 1841, however the emergence of Chilean 
Sauvignon Blanc dates more from the 1980 time frame. That was when the varietal started to explode, and vineyards sprouted in the cooler coastal region of the country. Pablo Morandé, an early pioneer for the grape, was influenced by Carneros, in the south of Napa Valley, where the proximity to San Pablo Bay kept temperatures cooler, as well as providing frequent fog. Emulating those conditions, he planted Sauvignon Blanc in Chile’s Casablanca region, close to the sea. His instincts paid off, and Casablanca became one of Chile’s most prominent Sauvignon Blanc producers.
Today, Sauvignon Blanc accounts for over 20% of Chile’s total wine exports, and is it’s second largest varietal behind Cabernet Sauvignon. They are the third largest exporter of it in the world. Back in 1978 it represented only 3.1% of total vine acreage. Compare that to the current 11.1% and you can appreciate it’s growth, as well as its increasing importance to the Chilean wine industry.
The climate in Chile is varied, ranging from the bone dry Atacama Desert in the north, to the ice fields of the south. The Pacific to the west provides a cooling influence, and the Andes to the east provide elevation. There is another mountain range, the Coastal Range, which parallels the Andes. In between these two is the Central Valley. There is almost every kind of micro-climate available somewhere in the country, and Sauvignon Blanc is finding it’s way into many of them. While the wines for this review are all Coastal, one of them does also come from the desert in the north.
We have 8 wines to review, so we’ll break this into two parts. Here are the first four wines.
2019 Ventisquero ‘Grey’ Sauvignon Blanc – this is the desert wine, from the Atacama Valley. It is 100% Sauvignon Blanc, taken from Block 22 on the first terrace next to the Huasco River. This year the yields were low,
with concentrated fruit. Humidity from the fogs which roll up the river provide moisture and help keep temperatures moderated. It has not rained in this region in 50 years. Harvest was by hand in the early morning. Fermentation was slow under controlled temperatures, and then the wine was left on the lees for 10 months with occasional stirring. Our thoughts?
The juice is a very pale yellow with a greenish hue, with a bright nose filled with citrus along with some herbal and spice notes. There are hints of white flowers. A smooth entry leads to a citrus filled palate with lemon and lime. Some salinity does come through at the end, but it is subtle. It finishes with great acid and a super long finish. This is pretty exceptional, top quality and a stunning value at $25. Really good and highly recommended.
2020 Viña Morande Gran Reserva Sauvignon Blanc – This wine is from the Casablanca Valley, which is close to the coast and has a cool climate. The vineyard is trellised in soils of clay and granite, which are not very
fertile. Hand picked, the grapes underwent cold maceration and were fermented primarily in French oak, with the balance fermented in concrete eggs. It stayed there for six months until bottling. What did we think?
Also light yellow with some green color, which is typical for these Chilean coastal Sauvignon Blancs. The nose has ripe tropical fruits initially with some mango. That turns into more citrus fruit with some time, including grapefruit and some peach. There are also some herbal and floral notes. It is complex. Overall this is another beautiful wine and great value at $20. Highly recommended.
2020 Viña Garcés Silva ‘Amayna’ Sauvignon Blanc – The grapes here are from the Leyda Valley, another cool, coastal area. Fermentation was in stainless steel tanks, with another 6 months of time spent on the lees prior to
bottling. This time on the lees is fairly consistent with the winemaking approach to these coastal Sauvignon Blancs. I’m a big fan of the technique, as it adds elegance, smoothness and complexity to white wines without taking away their freshness. What’s in this bottle?
You get that typical light yellow/greenish color, and the juice has a big nose which comes screaming out of the glass. Floral notes including orange blossom and ripe fruit with peach are present. It is smooth but fresh, with great mouthfeel. Citrus fruit persists with hints of salinity at the end. This is delicious, and another good value at $25. It might seem that we keep saying that, but we keep saying that.
2021 Viña Koyle Costa ‘La Flor’ Sauvignon Blanc – Also from the Leyda Valley in San Antonio, the vineyard is granitic with quartz stones, only 9 kilometers from the ocean. This was filtered once before bottling, and after
spending 4 months on the lees. Our impressions:
Similar in color to the above wines, this juice brings a nose of peach with floral and herbal notes, so also similar in most ways to the other wines. The palate is complex and smooth, with a fruit core. Nice acidity keeps it fresh and it finishes long with that touch of salinity these wines all seem to carry, a present from the proximity of the Pacific Ocean. It is subtle though, and easy to overlook. This is a very good wine, and a good value at $18.
You might expect that a group of wines from the same general area, made with similar winemaking techniques and approaches, would be similar in taste and aromas. In general they all are, and that is a very good thing. The coastal Sauvignon Blancs from Chile exhibit beautiful fruit, complex nuances, smooth but fresh profiles and a very high level of overall quality. This is impressive. The time on the lees elevates them.
These all go onto our Value List, and we have four more to go!
A votre santé!
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