Excellent Sauvignon Blanc from Chile’s Casablanca Valley DO

Great Sauvignon Blanc from Chile’s Casablanca Valley DO

While best known for its full-bodied reds, Chile is producing some sophisticated, terroir-driven white wines, some of the best of which are based on the sauvignon blanc grape variety; winemakers from the Casablanca DO are leading the charge.  We have pulled our review of wines from this grape variety from our new AG Wine for Chile upgrade.

The wines of the Valparaiso region’s Casablanca Valley DO, located northwest of Santiago, are impacted by the zone’s proximity to the sea; the Pacific Ocean provides a cooling influence to the area’s otherwise hot climate.  This cooler climate has led Casablanca’s winemakers to orient their production towards white wines; the chardonnay and sauvignon blanc varieties dominate production.
Most of Casablanca’s white wines are perfect everyday wines: simple, crisp (good acidity) and well-executed.  However, more recently, there is a new class of white wines emerging that is serious and very high quality. For the best white wines in the region, go with those based on the sauvignon blanc variety, particularly those from the coastal exposed southwestern part of the zone; these are some of the best version in Chile, second only to those from the San Antonio DO.  Casablanca’s chardonnays are also high quality and some of the best in Chile. Finally, Casablanca is dynamic area and actively exploring a number of new white grape varieties including riesling, viognier, and gewürztraminer.

AG Wine for Chile’s wines is now available! AG Wine now supports Chile’s wines, profiling all of the country’s winemaking regions, grape varieties, appellations, and vintages. Best of all: It’s a FREE upgrade for existing AG Wine App owners!