From the Massenez Family in Chile's Rapel Valley, a Sauvignon Blanc that sits on the fuller side of the grape. The 2021 vintage is dry, light in body and high in acidity, which is what keeps all that fruit standing up straight.
- Sauvignon Blanc, 100%, from Rapel Valley, Chile.
- 2021 vintage, 13% ABV, 750ml.
- Dry, light body, high acidity, low tannin.
- Citrus, green apple, tropical fruit, herbaceous, mineral.
How it is made
Rapel Valley is one of Chile's larger central growing areas, warm and dry inland from the coast, and it ripens Sauvignon Blanc further than the cool coastal sites do. That ripeness is where the tropical fruit comes from, while the variety's natural acidity holds the line. Fermentation and a short spell on the fine lees build the creamy texture the wine is known for.
How it tastes
Grapefruit and green apple lead, with riper tropical notes behind them and a cut-grass, herbaceous edge. The palate is creamy but light on its feet, and the mineral finish is long and clean. The balance between that creaminess and the high acidity is the whole point of the wine.
Good to know
Sauvignon Blanc is grown all over the world, but it changes character with climate more than almost any other white grape. Cool sites give green, herbal, sometimes piercing wines. Warmer inland valleys like Rapel push it toward melon, passion fruit and a rounder mid-palate.
