Review: Montes Sauvignon Blanc

In my opinion, Sauvignon Blanc is one of the most recognizable wine varieties out there. Even if you don’t often do blind tastings, if you know your wine you’ll be able to tell a Sauvignon Blanc when you taste one. The tropical and grassy characteristics are a dead giveaway. That said, Sauvignon Blanc is also a variety that expresses terroir in a pronounced way — resulting in very noticeable stylistic variations in Sauvignon Blanc from different regions.

Some of the most notable regions for producing Sauvignon Blanc include New Zealand, Loire Valley in France and Chile. All of these regions and several others produce really good, albeit stylistically different, Sauvignon Blanc. Which style is best is a matter of personal preference, and for me Chile has long been my go-to region.

Chile, however, is a long country with several different wine regions which each have unique terroirs. Therefore, saying I prefer Chilean Sauvignon Blanc isn’t necessarily the most precise or helpful proclamation. Within Chile, they define three major regions for Sauvignon Blanc:

• Coastal: Which starts fairly central from a north/south perspective and runs north along the coast, as the name would suggest, and inland to the coastal mountain range.
• Inland: Which is central but inland to the east of the coastal mountains.
• Southern: Which is inland in the deep south part of the country.

At this point in time, however, you’re not likely to find any Chilean Sauvignon Blanc labeled as being from one of those broad regions. Each of those regions includes multiple valleys designated as wine regions and several of those valleys include sub-regions within them. Those are the regional designations you’re likely to find mentioned on labels.

If you’re not nerdy enough about wine to memorize these different regions and sub-regions I could see how it could all become confusing and overwhelming. My recommendation, find one or two specific regions that appeal to your preferences and focus on those at first. Once you have your head wrapped around those, then start exploring other regions.

Montes Sauvignon Blanc and Leyda Valley

The wine I’m exploring today is from the coastal region. More specifically, it comes from Leyda Valley, which is a sub-region within the southern part of the San Antonio Valley. The Humboldt current, which brings in cool air from the sea, provides a significant influence on this region. The Montes vineyard where the grapes for this wine were grown lies about 9 miles inland and benefits from cold, cloudy mornings followed by warm, sunny afternoons.

The terroir of this region produces a Sauvignon Blanc with pronounced tropical aromatics and stellar acidity. Wines from this region also tend to have some (but not too much) green characteristics (e.g., grassy, bell pepper, etc.). These characteristics make Leyda Valley one the specific regions I look for when shopping for Sauvignon Blanc.

Tasting Notes

This wine is very tropical on the nose, offering aromas like peach, pineapple, passion fruit, orange blossom, flinty minerals and a touch of jalapeño pepper (the fragrance, not the heat). That tropical essence continues through the palate, which brings vibrant acidity and flavors like pineapple, lime, passion fruit, peach and some salinity. The mouthfeel is pleasant. It finishes long with more tropical fruit and salty minerals.

Wine: Montes Limited Selection Sauvignon Blanc
Varieties: 100% Sauvignon Blanc
Vintage: 2021
Alcohol: 13.5%
Rating: 90
Average price: $15.00
Disclosure: This wine was received as a media sample.