If you want a sauvignon blanc that tastes like the Loire’s Sancerre — citrusy, scented of minerals and finishing with zippy acidity — you can buy it from Chile. If you want a sauvignon blanc that’s like those from the warmed vineyards of California — a sort of “melon water,” soft and pliable on the tongue — you can buy it from Chile. If you want a sauvignon blanc such as that from Bordeaux, with the unctuous texture brought to it from a healthy dollop of semillon in the blend, you can buy it from Chile (without the semillon).
The kicker is that each bottle from Chile will be about half the price for its twin wine from the other place.
After cabernet sauvignon, sauvignon blanc is the second-most-planted wine grape in Chile, at about 12 percent of all vines. While cabernet sauvignon clearly has raced to the forefront as Chile’s great red wine variety (old vine carignan and cool-climate syrah just now breathing down its neck), sauvignon blanc has vied with chardonnay as the country’s premier white wine variety.
During the past three to four years, however, sauvignon blanc has proven more interesting and worthy than chardonnay as Chile’s great white wine. Many of Chile’s sauvignon blancs, especially those from coastal regions such as Leyda and Casablanca, are world-class in quality and taste.
I’ve organized a raft of recommended sauvignon blancs (from more than 30 sampled for this column) by style, so that you might find that sort of sauvignon blanc that you prefer. Sauvignon blanc is anything but shy, but it makes its statements, from lean and green to soft and rich, in several turns. The wines are listed in each section by price.
Along the eastern Loire River, the appellations of Pouilly-Fume, Quincy, Reuilly and Sancerre truly produce some of the world’s most sought-after sauvignon blanc. The style is often called “racy,” as if the wine sparks through the palate, rather than lolls around the tongue, tangy with a saline acidity and always green of fruit (grapefruit and lime especially, and what the British call “nettle,” a sort of cucumber-y aroma and taste). But the most characteristic aspect of Loire sauvignon blanc is its scent of chalk or flint.
• 2012 Penalolen Sauvignon Blanc, Casablanca: Strikingly like a mineral-rich Quincy or Reuilly from the Loire, less intense than Pouilly-Fume; great price. $13-$15
• 2013 Vina Leyda Sauvignon Blanc, Leyda: Seems made more of mint leaves, lime peel and chalk than grapes; great energy, great price. $15
• 2013 Matetic Sauvignon Blanc "EQ" Coastal, Casablanca: A mojito as wine, with buckets of citrus in all aspects — aroma, flavor and tart texture; lengthy finish. $16
• 2012 Concha y Toro Sauvignon Blanc "Terrunyo" Los Boldos Vineyard Block 5, Casablanca: Edged in basil and thyme, slightly minerally, aggressively tart; in need of food, not a sipper. $16-$20
• 2012 Santa Rita Sauvignon Blanc Gran Reserva "Medalla Real" San Antonio, Leyda: Has focus and drive, as if it were more a beam than a liquid, carrying its minerals, citrus and herby flavors straight through. $17
• 2012 Garcia + Schwaderer Sauvignon Blanc Special Selection Marina, Casablanca: The lemon-lime of 7-Up for flavor (without the sugar), but the scent of linen on the line and sea breeze; lots of layers. $20-$25
More like melon
Many sauvignon blancs from California depart from the lean, citrusy style of France into a more melonlike, ripe apple character. So do some Chilean sauvignons.
• 2012 Concha y Toro Sauvignon Blanc Gran Reserva Serie Riberas Colchagua Rapel: This "best buy" accents its melon-rich flavor and aroma with hints of green vegetable. $15
• 2012 Koyle Costa Paredones Vineyard, Colchagua: Subdued for a sauvignon (give this to the chardonnay-ers), slightly citrusy and drying on the palate, so aim it at the table. $22
Rich and unctuous
Whether from winemaking or cellaring techniques, or the use of riper fruit, the texture that can be found in several sauvignon blancs from Chile is what impresses; they caress the palate with softness, as if you were sipping a smoothie rather than a wine.
• 2013 Quintay Sauvignon Blanc "Clava," Casablanca: Super, super price for a great combo of citrus scents and tastes embedded in a lemon-bar, butter-crusted texture. $10
• 2013 Montes Sauvignon Blanc "Special Selection," Leyda: The lime- and grapefruit-like flavors are softly turned out. $14
• 2012 Vina Mayu Sauvignon Blanc, Elqui Valley: Excellent value for juicy, creamy style combined with "green" character (lime, grapefruit, herb). $15
• 2012 Vina Leyda Sauvignon Blanc Garuma Vineyard, Leyda: This is a dual personality: green and edgy (grapefruit, mineral, pea, acidity) as well as layered, deep and creamy of texture. $17
• 2012 Amayna Sauvignon Blanc, Leyda: A real favorite for its combination of richness and "electricity," the way its citrusy leanness slows down on the tongue because of its depth and "fat." $20
Eat your vegetables
Many of the world’s sauvignon blancs sport a “vegetal” edge. After the citrus or melon aromas and flavors fade, there’s a snap of jalapeno or asparagus stem. It’s a grace note in the better examples, a fillip of flavor.
• 2013 Vina Garces Silva Sauvignon Blanc "Boya," Leyda: Just a hint of tomato leaf or green pea to the white peach and lime zest aroma and flavor, all tied tight with fine acidity. $18
If your wine store does not carry these wines, ask for one similar in style and price.
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