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The Pichilemu Sauvignon Blanc 2020 is a $6.99 Trader Joe’s import wine. The wine is made by Viña Marchigue, a family-owned winery located in the Colchagua Valley in Chile. The winery also owns vineyards in the Curico Valley, located near the middle of the Central Valley in Chile.
The Curico Valley is in between the foothills of the Andes and the Chilean Coastal Mountain Range. Pichilemu refers to a surfing spot on the Pacific Coast, Chile’s answer to the Malibu California surfing scene.
The Pichilemu Sauvignon Blanc 2020 is not shown on the wineries website (This facility also produces several other Trader Joe’s Chilean wines); it seems to be related to their Classic Sauvignon Blanc, but in the bottle from the single-vineyard Reserva Sauvignon Blanc.
This is a well-packaged wine; there is a Pinot Noir-shaped bottle, and the logo is an abstract surfing wave. The packaging rivals wine selling for two or three times the price. This is a stealth inexpensive Sauvignon Blanc; no one can tell you paid $6.99.
Chilean Sauv Blanc is something of a sleeper wine. This is a Southern Hemisphere Sauv Blanc not all that dissimilar from New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. These wines are growing in reputation but are still flying under the radar. In a few years, you may be paying $20 to $40 for quality Sauvignon Blanc wine from Chile, but they are still value-priced for now.
Grapevines thrive on warm days and cold nights. The vineyards in the Curico Valley have volcanic soil, and while daytime temperatures can be hot, the nighttime temps are very cool. The grape maturation is busy during the day, and then the grapes almost hibernate at night. That repeated cycle leads to a long growing season.
Chile looks to be another great place to find excellent, well-priced Sauvignon Blanc wines. The alcohol content is 13%. That is one of the great things about Trader Joe’s; you may never head to the South American section of your local wine shop to get a Sauv Blanc, but seeing a $6.99 example at TJ’s just maybe the reason you need to give them a try.
Pichilemu Sauvignon Blanc 2020 Tasting Notes
The Pichilemu Sauvignon Blanc 2020 is a medium-weight wine with firm, balanced flavors. The color is pale golden yellow with a slight green tint. The nose is ripe and juicy; grassy, with lemon, green apple, pear, grapefruit, guava, tropical fruit, and a floral background.
It tastes like a mix of melon, lemon, and pineapple, ripe but not sweet. Then there is peach and pear with a hint of minerality. The mid-palate mostly mirrors the main body of the wine but does add that salty, nutty, “on-lees” sensation and tart stone fruit. The acidity is well-balanced; this is an expertly made wine.
The Summary
- If you are a fan of Sauvignon Blanc, pick up a bottle or two of the Pichilemu Sauvignon Blanc 2020.
- Value-priced White wine is typically bright and juicy with plenty of acidity to get your palate going.
- Expensive White wines are different, they are more traditionally balanced, more complex, have more depth.
- I like both styles, you really can’t beat the value-priced White wines for the price and they are often very enjoyable to sip.
- The Pichilemu Sauvignon Blanc 2020 reminds me of a more expensive Sauv Blanc, it has the balance and the controlled acidity that is often on display in the more expensive juice.
- I think I will be on the look-out for more Chilean Sauvignon Blanc.
