The sensational appeal of Sauvignon Blanc lures wine drinkers to a well of intense aromas, flavors, and structure.  Fans of Sauvignon Blanc love the wine for its zesty acidity and thirst-quenching nature.  Always aromatically pungent, styles can go from classically “green” notes of asparagus, lime, grass and peas, to the riper tropical fruit notes of passion fruit, grapefruit and mango, depending on where it is grown.  Generally, flavors run to citrus, white peach and herbs, all in a light-bodied wine with moderate alcohol.  When you think of Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand and France generally top the list, but Chile is perhaps equally as important.

Garces Silva cellars, Courtesy of Wines of Chile

What you might not realize is that Chile contributes a large number of Sauvignon Blanc wines to the global market, and that it’s an important wine for their local economy.  The numbers are impressive.  Chile is the third largest producer, by share, of Sauvignon Blanc in the world, with New Zealand #1 and the United States #2, with France #4.  Sauvignon Blanc is the second most widely planted varietal, behind Cabernet Sauvignon, and makes up 40% of all white grapes grown in Chile.

So how does Chilean Sauvignon Blanc rank among these classic regions?  Chile’s wine profile, for the most part, can fall somewhere in the middle of New Zealand and France’s famous Sancerre styles, but leans more towards Sancerre, with its elegant, greenish character, intense aromas and flavors, salinity and tension in the palate.  Compared to California, Chile’s wines have more leafy aromas, spice and tension, probably due to Chile’s cooler climate.  It’s definitely an Old World style, emphasizing the herbal notes.  Yet, one of the classic descriptors of Sauvignon Blanc, a “cat pee” aroma, is absent in Chile, attributed to the sun’s intensity and vineyard management.

Matetic Cellars, Courtesy of Wines of Chile

​As far as quality and price, there is a trend towards the premium side.  Wine producers have reported higher grape quality in the past couple of years, perhaps from the push towards sustainability.  And with better grapes comes even better wines, with the price point inching up to reflect the rise in quality.  In fact, some would say that there is an unparalleled quality to price ratio, getting more bang for the buck with Chilean wines.

Matetic Rosario vineyard, Casablanca Valley, Courtesy of Wines of Chile

​Chilean Sauvignon Blancs are quite a diverse lot.  There are three distinct areas within Chile for Sauvignon Blanc production.  The Coastal region, encompassing the Humboldt Current and Coastal Range, produces cool climate wines with an herbal and citrus nature, high acidity, tension and a fatty mouthfeel.  The Central Valley and Andes Slopes is sunny and warm, and the wines reflect that, grapefruit and passion fruit aromas, less acidity, fat, and tension.  The Deep South is very different, a damp, cool climate which yields sharp, lean wines that are herbal and citrussy, currently produced as an early experiment for its potential.

Recently, I had the opportunity to explore the Coastal Sauvignon Blancs, courtesy of the Wines of Chile.  Eight wines were sampled and discussed, from various valleys, and even different vintages.  The most important observation, there is a wide range of expressions possible among the Coastal Sauvignon Blancs, due to the patchwork of terroir combinations that exist.  Several factors contribute to this mosaic of wine possibilities.

Casas del Bosque vineyard, Casablanca Valley, Courtesy of Wines of Chile

First, the most important influence on the wines is the massive Humboldt Oceanic Current off the western coast of South America.  The Humboldt current flows northward from Antarctica to northern Peru and west along the equator, imparting the cooling effects of a 600 mile wide mass of cold water.  This consistent cooling buffers Chile’s coastal temperatures, allowing the grapes to gradually ripen and develop the herbal character and fruity flavors, while preserving the acidity, tension and fat in the palate, all which Sauvignon Blanc lovers crave.

Matetic vineyards, Casablanca Valley, Courtesy of Wines of Chile

Ventisquero vineyard, Huasco River Valley, Courtesy of Wines of Chile

Second, the Coastal mountain range soils are ancient, older than the Andes, between 65-150 million years, which gives rise to many different soil types, granite, clay, quartz, limestone, and a particular one that wine growers love, “maicillo”, which contains a random mix of sand and gravel particles over a clay or granite bedrock.  These old soils are porous, allowing the vines’ roots to reach down through the fissures, drawing up its mineral content that shows in the finished wines.

Talinay vineyard, Limarí Valley, Courtesy of Wines of Chile

Third, the Coastal Range is a barrier to cold air flowing inland from the Pacific Ocean, creating a Western slope/Eastern slope difference in wind and temperature, in essence a rain shadow effect for the inland areas.

Garces Silva vineyard, Leyda Valley, Courtesy of Wines of Chile

Fourth, the wine-producing valleys run east to west, from the Andes to the Pacific Ocean, and although they don’t receive a lot of rainfall, are sustained by rivers and ground water.

Morandé vineyard, Casablanca Valley, Courtesy of Wines of Chile

And fifth, the Coastal wine valleys are shrouded in morning fog, but basked in afternoon sunlight.  It’s a long, slow ripening season for the grapes, a winemaker’s dream

While Sauvignon Blanc can be refreshing to drink by the glass, its true beauty is revealed alongside food.  The acidity, citrus, and herbal notes call out for food pairing, the classic one is oysters.  But I think that while seafood is the most perfect pairing, clams, mussels, and even oily fish, fresh cheeses, white meat, and pastas in cream sauces also find a perfect mate in these wines.

Of the eight wines that I tasted, three were from the colder vintage year of 2021, compared with a warm 2020.  The first four are from the 2020 vintage.  All of these wines are representative and great examples of Chile’s Coastal Sauvignon Blancs.

The Morandé Gran Reserva Sauvignon Blanc, Casablanca Valley 2020 (SRP $20) is a single vineyard wine, produced by Pablo Morandé, who pioneered Sauvignon Blanc in the Valley in the 1990’s.  An herbal nose swirls with whiffs of orange blossom and lime aromas, followed by an intensely fruity palate of grapefruit and white peach.  The vibrant acidity and minerality blossoms into a rich mouthfeel, with a persistent finish, this is an elegant wine.

The Matetic EQ Coastal Sauvignon Blanc, Casablanca Valley 2020 (SRP $20) is grown in organic vineyards with biodynamic techniques, and definitely a terroir-driven wine.  The vineyard is 5 miles from the Pacific Ocean, and you can literally taste salinity in the glass.  So intriguing, the aromas of citrus and tropical fruit, herbal and spice notes unfurl on concentrated fruity flavors, with a salty mineral dimension, a fascinating wine!

The Garces Silva Family Vineyards Amayna Sauvignon Blanc, San Antonio-Leyda Valley 2020 (SRP $25) is an intense and complex wine, a perfect example of terroir.  "Amayna" is their signature wine that reflects a true sense of place, with a lime and herb nose with green chili accents, whiffs of orange blossom and fresh pineapple, a concentrated, textured palate channeling acidity and creaminess, contrasted with salinity on the back end, a fantastic wine.

The Ventisquero Wine Estates Grey Sauvignon Blanc, Huasco River Valley, Atacama Desert 2019 (SRP $25) is an expressive wine, mouthwatering in its sharp lime and citrus character and green chili aromas.  With a structured, mineral and textured palate, and an intriguing salinity and long finish, this is a complex wine, and very food friendly.

The next four wines are from the colder 2021 vintage or a colder vineyard site, and are more sharp and acid-driven

The Montes Limited Selection Sauvignon Blanc, Leyda Valley 2021 (SRP $15) is vibrant with sharp acidity, reflective of the hilly vineyard site that sees cold, cloudy mornings and warm afternoon sun.  The greenish yellow color is a clue to its profile, mineral with aromas of white peach, passion fruit, fresh pineapple and Jalapeño, with orange blossom floral notes and green boxwood, and a grapefruit palate.

​The Koyle Family Vineyards Costa La Flor Sauvignon Blanc, San Antonio-Leyda Valley 2021 (SRP $18) is grown even closer to the coast, with its maicillo soils and lees aging, this is an elegant wine.  The sharper acidity is mitigated by four months of lees contact, which gives it a textured body.  Aromas of asparagus, nectarines and flowers reside in a lime-tinged frame, with citrus, dried apricot, ginger and white tea flavors.  The refreshing acidity ends with a long, juicy and salty finish.

The Viña Tabali Talinay Sauvignon Blanc, Limarí Valley 2021 (SRP $24) is aromatically intense, with citrus, white flowers, herbs and a hint of gunpowder, so fresh, mineral and saline, there is texture and tension in the palate.  A complex wine that springs from limestone slopes and a very cool climate, and consequently, hangs longer on the vine to achieve ripeness.

​Finally, the Viña Casas Del Bosque La Cantera Sauvignon Blanc, Casablanca Valley 2020 (SRP $18) comes from the coldest spot in the Valley and expresses concentrated aromas of grapefruit, boxwood and passion fruit, along with hints of lime.  Crunchy acidity frames the wine, with flavors of citrus and herbs, it has a long finish.

All of the wines tasted are readily available in the US, and worthy of your exploration.  Chile is an exciting wine producer with so much to offer, and while widely recognized for its amazing red wines, their Sauvignon Blancs are world class.  The Coastal Sauvignon Blancs deliver mouthwatering wines, with that distinctive coastal character of vibrant acidity, intense aromas and flavors of citrus and herbs, minerality, tension and texture in the palate, and a bracing salinity on the nose and finish.  Quality is on the rise, and more premium wines are being produced, yet with incredible value for their price point.  It’s time to “Salud!” with Chilean Sauvignon Blanc!