An Elegant Chilean Sauvignon Blanc From Bubble Brothers. Great value too!

An Elegant Chilean Sauvignon Blanc 

From Bubble Brothers. Great value too!

Matetic Corralillo Sauvignon Blanc (DO Valle De San Antonio) 2021, 13.5%.

€18.00 Bubble Brothers

Elegant, with a long finish

This Sauvignon Blanc comes from the middle (more or less) of Chile's wine-growing region. Chile, as you know, is a long narrow country. The total length is 4,300 km while the vines grow in a strip some 1,000 km long and about 170 km wide. This trip is roughly (very) halfway between north and south but more towards the north.

Certified organic (by Demeter) and working bio-dynamically, Matetic is in the San Antonio region (just ten miles inland from the Pacific and just over an hour west of the capital Santiago). The area has distinguished itself… “with its ability to grow quality Pinot Noir in addition to the critically acclaimed Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay” according to Wines of South America.

Their vines in the Rosario Valley are known for making some of the country’s best examples of this grape (Sauvignon Blanc) “because it gets those all important ocean breezes from the Pacific”. So says Jane Austen (author of Wine Revolution). 

This book tipped me off about the wine and glad to find it locally in Bubble Brothers in the English Market and glad too that it was on offer (down from 20 to 18 euro). Wouldn’t mind trying another few from the range! I note that Wines of South America has included Matetic’s Riesling and Syrah in their shortlists.

Colour is light gold with slight tints of green. Aromas are grassy and citrusy. It is lively and expressive on the palate with the fruit turning more tropical, papaya and mango along with the citrus. Acidity is fresh and juicy; it has great volume with an elegant and balanced long finish. Very Highly Recommended.

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The producers: “The wine is kept on its lees for three months to enhance the smooth texture of this full-flavoured, rounded white that makes a perfect accompaniment for simply prepared fish dishes from sushi to ceviche, and a cleansing foil to richer recipes such as chowders.”

They elaborate saying it is perfect for appetisers or fresh vegetable salads and sea food, especially ceviche (fresh raw fish marinated in lime juice) or fish “a la plancha” (grilled on a metal plate). “A classic combination is Sauvignon Blanc with clam chowder: the acid in the wine cuts through the creaminess of the soup to leave a refreshing, clean feeling on the palate.”

I like Jane Austen’s summing up: “Don't think too hard about this, just crack it open and pair it with a lovely goat's cheese salad. This unoaked Sauvignon Blanc is incredible value - ready to go.”

The grapes are farmed organically and hand-picked, and the vineyards' cool climate and a gravity-flow winery mean that as much as possible of the natural freshness of the fruit is retained. The wine is kept on its lees to enhance the smooth texture of this full-flavoured, rounded white. 

In Brief

• A great value wine. 
• Organically farmed and biodynamically produced. 
• Cool climate grown, gives the wine its refreshing acidity and fruity flavours.
• Lees-ageing gives it a smooth texture and a complex flavour profile.
• Pairs well with seafood. 

• 100% Sauvignon Blanc grapes.
• Fruit grown in the Rosario Valley
• The wine is bottled at 13.5% alcohol.