At long last, our Summer of Chilean Sauvignon Blanc is drawing to a close. It has been a long, hot summer here in NorCal, but we persevered with the help of these crisp, refreshing white wines. It’s been fun reaching into the wine chiller and randomly grabbing one of the bottles. Sadly, this time when we opened the door, there was only one Chilean Sauvignon Blanc left. The final wine for this series is the Viña Morandé Gran Reserva Sauvignon Blanc 2020.
The following wine was provided as a media sample for review. All reviews, descriptions, and opinions are our own. We received no additional compensation.
Pablo Morandé is a visionary, and reputed to be the first to plant grapes in the Casablanca Valley in the 1980s. He founded Viña Morandé in 1996 to further his vision for the future, and showcase the varied and diverse terroirs of Chile. Among other innovations, Viña Morandé launched a high-density planting program, with up to 10,000 vines per hectare. High-density planting allows growers to take better advantage of soil moisture and solar energy. In addition, Viña Morandé utilizes concrete eggs for fermentation, and large, oak foudres for aging. The result is high-quality wines that highlight the diversity of the Chilean terroirs.
With that, on the Autumnal Equinox marking the end of summer, we introduce the final wine in our Summer of Chilean Sauvignon Blanc.
Viña Morandé Gran Reserva Sauvignon Blanc 2020
Pale straw color. Nose of citrus and tropical fruit. On the palate, lemon zest, quince, pineapple, mango, white grapefruit, and notes of straw and hay. Light body with tart acidity and a medium finish.
We hope you have enjoyed following along on the journey through our Summer of Chilean Sauvignon Blanc. If you have the chance to try this wine, or any of the others in this series, please leave a comment to let us know how you liked them.
Cheers!
- By Kent Reynolds and Robyn Raphael-Reynolds
- Photos by Robyn Raphael-Reynolds
Appetite for Wine 