I have a love affair with Sauvignon Blanc from Chile, so when I hear about a new release that looks intriguing, I have to try it. So when Margaret Snook profiled the Casa Silva Cool Coast Sauvignon Blanc in her blog recently, I was determined to find this wine.
Fortunately for me, the importer of this wine – Vin diVino – is about a five minute’s walk from my home, so I was able to get a sample bottle, as the wine had just arrived a day or two earlier. I tried the wine this week and can tell you it is worth the early raves.
Casa Silva recently released this 2009 Sauvignon Blanc from their new Paredones Estate (planted in 2006) located just five miles from the Pacific Ocean. Vintners in several areas in Chile have been looking to cool climates for Sauvignon Blanc as well as Chardonnay, Syrah and Pinot Noir to a greater degree over the past decade and the results have often been spectacular, as with the bottlings from San Antonio and Leyda Valleys, a bit west and south of Santiago. This estate of Casa Silva is an exciting new venture, at it is located in the Colchagua Valley, approximately one hundred miles south of Santiago. As Colchagua is best known for its powerful red wines, it is fascinating to see Casa Silva turn to Sauvignon Blanc in this region (this new estate is also planted to Pinot Noir, a variety that must have a cool climate to thrive.)
The wine is truly special – here are my tasting notes:
Brilliant straw with a slight youthful effervesence. Room-filling aromas of grapefruit, lime and pear zest. Medium-full with excellent concentration. Richly textured with great persistence of fruit, vibrant, lip-smacking acidity and outstanding texture. Superb varietal character. So appealing now, but should drink well for 3-5 years.
Simply put, this is an outstanding Sauvignon Blanc that is among the three or four best I have ever tried from Chile. How exciting that another new zone in Chile has emerged for extraordinary cool climate Sauvignon Blanc. This has been one of the major developments in the wine industry over the past five or six years and if you haven’t tried a Sauvignon Blanc from a producer such as Casa Marin, Leyda, Matetic (EQ) Amayna or now Casa Silva with their Cool Coast bottling, you need to find these wines and discover what all the excitement is about!
The 2009 Casa Silva Cool Coast Sauvignon Blanc will be available on a limited basis in a few US markets. Suggested retail will be a very reasonable $22 per bottle.
Sounds like another great Sauvignon Blanc from Chile. Wish it was more available and affordable though. Perhaps they will ramp up production in the future.
ReplyDeletedc:
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment. Due to the particularities of this estate, this wine will always be in limited production and for me, the $22 is very reasonable, especially compared to other great Sauvignon Blancs from around the world.
However, I'm about to write about other excellent Sauvignon Blancs from Chile that are priced under $15. The best I've had recently is the 2009 Mont Gras from San Antonio Valley. It's just been released and should be in good distribution and at $12, it's a steal! Keep an eye out for my upcoming post on this wine.
Hi Tom-
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear you were able to find and taste this great new SB. There are other producers working in the area (and other new coastal areas) so there's every reason to keep a close eye on Chilean Sauvignon Blanc!
And the Montgras is a real charmer too-highly recommended!