From - San Antonio, Chile
Grape - Sauvignon Blanc
Alc - 13.5%
Price - £9.49
From - Waitrose
Appearance - clear; pale; lemon-green; paler at core compared to rim
Nose - Clean; medium; developed; citrus (grapefruit & lime) apple, grass, mineral, maybe a touch of spice.
palate - dry; medium+ acidity, medium alcohol; medium body; medium intensity+; medium + length; apple, lime, melon, sweet pepper, asparagus.
Conclusions - good, mid-priced, ready to drink, unlikely to improve.
Balance - 6 Length - 8 Intensity - 7 Complexity - 7
You can get some EXCELLENT value for money from Chilean Sauvignon Blanc. I will probably do a post about the grape in general soon, but this wine in particular is really good value. Unfortunately, I think this specific one is no longer available for the vintage but no doubt the 2014 one will be out before very long, and unlikely to be too much different, so look out for it. Sauvignon Blanc rarely improves with age, rather it is inclined to simply become dull with age, and therefore is produced to be drunk sharpish.
Chilean SB tends to really emphasise the grassy element, which I find very pleasant. Also gooseberry flavours can be at the fore but not in this one as far as I can discern, which has more citrus fruit and melon. The high acid levels that you get from SB makes it good for an aperitif, but I had this with a salad (rocket and baby-leaf with tomato, green pepper, beetroot) dressed with balsamic dressing. The acid made a good match for the dressing (standing up to the vinegar, cutting through the oil), the tomatoes (that are acidic) and the green, grassy flavours were complimentary to the dish.
Like (some) other Chilean SBs (not all!) the length is really good for a wine at this price. As I type, I've not had a glug for about five minutes and I still have citrus and grass flavours in my nose and mouth. I think that length is a huge part of how much value you are getting from your wine (just as long as the flavours that linger are pleasant!).
The vegetal flavours in this wine are very agreeable and exciting to me, adding to my perception of complexity, making this almost a savoury flavour. Also, despite the fact that you may not consider the balance to be particularly good, the refreshing nature of the wine makes it very drinkable. I would imagine that this would be a great match for the reputedly difficult-to-match asparagus (particularly if dressed with balsamic vinegar - that's how I like mine).
I know that Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc is all the rage, and for good reason with the face-full of flavour you can get. However do check out Chile for SB as you might get an absolute bargain, particularly if you like your SB to be more intense than the more restrained types from Loire or Bordeaux.
