For this tasting, we have something special planned (we're not making things easy on ourselves this time): a comparative study of three bottle of Sauvignon Blanc, made in roughly the same region in Chile, by the same producer: Amayna Wines. This might not sound very exciting, since we all know what Sauvignon Blanc is and what it tastes like, but I can tell you already that it's worth your while to read until the end, because we make some surprising discoveries...
The glasses are poured and the first difference is immediately obvious. The standard Sauvignon and the Cordon Huinca have a typical pale yellow colour, but the colour of the barrel fermented is a lot deeper, with a tinge of orange. This is typical for wines that have matured oxidatively, and it sets the scene for what is still to come.
And then it's time to start with the first wine. The Amayna Sauvignon Blanc 2018 is the most basic version that Amayna has on offer and it is a Sauvignon Blanc as we all know it: refreshing, high acidity, ideal as an aperitif or with a light meal. In the nose we find a lot of citrus, obviously, but also some floral aromas and a certain minerality. Nothing too excessive, but that's ok in a Sauvignon Blanc. On the palate we get more of the same: fresh flavours, loads of acidity and a long aftertaste with lingering citrus flavours. The balance is not 100% on point, the acidity is a bit too dominant for that, but this is a very pleasant interpretation of Sauvignon Blanc and very promising for the next wines.
The second wine in the row is the Cordon Huinca. This wine is made of grapes from the Amayna vineyard with the highest altitude, in the Leyda Valley. The reputation of this small wine region in the north of Chile has ben on the rise in recent years, and the wine in our glass proves why. In the nose we once again find notes of citrus, but also some peach and pineapple. The aromas are not just more developed than in the first wine, they are also more expressive, which is a direct consequence of a long growing season in a cool climate. On the palate we notice a fuller body and a rounder mouthfeel, and the finish is again fairly long with flavours of citrus and pineapple. This wine is better balanced than the first one, but the fruity flavours are just not pronounced enough to make this a top class wine.
And this brings us to the Sauvignon Blanc Barrel Fermented, a wine that has matured on wooden casks for 12 months, followed by several years of maturing in the bottle (the wine was harvested in 2013). Expectation were high by the deep colour of the wine and the exotic aromas that drifted in our direction. It took us some time to recognise individual aromas, but it the end we ended up with ripe apricots, jam, honey, tropical fruit and yeast. We could have droned on for a lot longer about this mix, and we actually did, but that would make this blog a bit too long. I'll therefore limit myself to these 5 aromas, but they already give you an idea of the complexity and maturity of this wine. In the nose, at least, because on the palate the wine was not as expressive... The wine has a full body and good acidity, but the fruity flavours are not that exuberant and they disappear too quickly. Nonetheless, this is a unique wine, with an aromatic complexity that is hard to find in a white wine.
So what do we need to remember from this tasting session? Well, for starters this once again shows that the grapes are the basis for the quality of the wine, but it's the choices of the winemaker that determine the final result. The regular Sauvignon Blanc and the Cordon Huinca are already quite different amongst themselves, but both are nothing like the Barrel Fermented. And yet this is all Sauvignon Blanc! This proves that it is important to keep tasting and to have an open mind for new interpretations of familiar grapes. Finally, we will also remember that the reputation of Chile as a good wine country is fully deserved. Of course they produce a lot of cheap and simple wines, so do many wine countries, but in regions like the Leyda Valley they successfully produce high quality wines, that deserve their place in the wine world (and in your wine fridge).
