I’ve made a lot of noise over the past year about the awesome Sauvignon Blanc coming from Chile, and here’s another Chilean SB to get excited about. But there’s something different about this one. Most of the Chilean Sauvignon Blanc that’s knocked my socks off has been from the Casablanca Valley region, but this one is from Colchagua Valley.
What’s really interesting about that is the fact that Colchagua Valley isn’t known for Sauvignon Blanc. In fact, it’s not known for any white wine varieties. There are gads of outstanding red wines coming from Colchagua Valley, but I haven’t come across many whites at all. If you look at the Wines of Chile’s profile of Colchagua Valley you’ll see for yourself that they list no white varieties (at least at the time I’m writing this). After tasting this outstanding Sauvignon Blanc I can’t help but wonder if we’ll start to see more white wines come from Colchagua Valley.
While Casa Silva was only established under that name in 1997, the history of the Silva family producing wine in the Colchagua Valley goes back 5 generations to 1892. They produce several varieties, including a number of different whites from Colchagua Valley.
Lately, I’ve been trying to take pictures of wine bottles before I empty them, but somehow this one slipped through the cracks.
Similar to other Chilean Sauvignon Blanc, tropical aromas dominate the nose. It has all the characteristics you’d expect from a good SB—soft grassy aromas, citrus, melon and mineral. The palate has an outstanding, crisp acidity with lime and tart apples. The finish is long, refreshing and filled with citrus and granny smith apple.
This is yet another reason to head to the Chilean shelf when you’re shopping for Sauvignon Blanc.
Wine: Casa Silva
Variety: Sauvignon Blanc
Vintage: 2008
Alcohol: 13.5%
Rating: 88
Price: $14.00
Find Casa Silva Sauvignon Blanc with Snooth