Viña Morandé Gran Reserva Sauvignon Blanc

If you are a wine grower, I suppose there are a couple different approaches you could take related to choosing what to grow. You could start with the property you own and select the grape varieties you think would do best in that terroir. Or you could decide what variety you want to grow and seek out a property you think will be ideal for that grape.

The latter is what Pablo Morandé did. In the 1990’s, Morandé sought out a specific terroir to grow Sauvignon Blanc. He ended up selecting a property in the Casablanca Valley in Chile, and more specifically in the Lo Ovalle region. He is considered a pioneer when it comes to growing Sauvignon Blanc in this region.

In my last review of Montes Sauvignon Blanc, I highlighted the different general regions for Sauvignon Blanc in Chile. This is part of the coastal region.

The Viña Morandé vineyard for this wine is approximately 14 miles inland from the coast and benefits from the marine influence, cooling the vineyards with a fine mist in the mornings before the sun warms them in the afternoons. The soils here are mostly granite slopes with some clay. This terroir results in a Sauvignon Blanc with a pronounced tropical expression, as has been realized in the Viña Morandé Gran Reserva Sauvignon Blanc.

The winemaking is also quite intentional. Most of the must for this wine was fermented in large, French oak casks and the remainder in concrete eggs. The end product is a fine Sauvignon Blanc. One that is delicious now, but could also age well and I think would be even better 4-5 years from now.

Despite being a serious wine, it’s still quite affordably-priced, with a suggested retail price of $20.

Tasting Notes

If you’re a fan of tropical Sauvignon Blanc, you’ll love this one. The aromas reveal passion fruit, grapefruit, orange blossom and mineral alongside a field of herbs. It’s nice and bright on the palate with lime, grapefruit, passion fruit, white peach and saline minerals. The acidity is fabulously vibrant. The mouthfeel is very nice. It finishes long with grapefruit, white peach and saline flavors.

Wine: Viña Morandé Gran Reserva Sauvignon Blanc
Varieties: 100% Sauvignon Blanc
Vintage: 2020
Alcohol: 13.5%
Rating: 92
Average price: $20.00
Disclosure: This wine was received as a media sample.