Winemaker Notes
A food-friendly Sauvignon Blanc, excellent for appetizers, fresh vegetable salads with goat cheese, raw fish and seafood, specially oysters and ceviche (fresh raw fish marinated in citrus juices).
Professional Ratings
-
Wine & Spirits
The vines for EQ Coastal are seven miles from the sea, today growing in a distinctly firm and tight white from the warm 2015 vintage. It offers a strong mineral savor of chalk and salt, gradually combining with notes of lime. A white made for oysters.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Already bottled, as it's a wine they sell quite fast, the 2015 Sauvignon Blanc Coastal EQ has seen a gradual increase in the percentage of wine that is fermented outside of stainless steel; some 20% of the volume is fermented in oak barrels (12%) and egg-shaped cement vats (10% in this 2015). The fruit comes from Casablanca from the last vineyard they planted in the Vallehermoso vineyard, close to the sea (some 12 kilometers) -- a windy and flat place that has great influence for the sea and gives less fruit (same number of bunches, but smaller), so it's naturally more concentrated. They search for a citric and herbal character with a topical hint, with notes of lime, grapefruit and gooseberries; it is clean in a style that focuses on the texture and the volume, nicely compensated by freshness and a finish with mineral, salty hints. Again, this is great coastal Sauvignon at bargain prices.
Capable of a vast array of styles, Sauvignon Blanc is a crisp, refreshing variety that equally reflects both terroir and varietal character. Though it can vary depending on where it is grown, a couple of commonalities always exist—namely, zesty acidity and intense aromatics. This variety is of French provenance. Somm Secret—Along with Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc is a proud parent of Cabernet Sauvignon. That green bell pepper aroma that all three varieties share is no coincidence—it comes from a high concentration of pyrazines (herbaceous aromatic compounds) inherent to each member of the family.
A region that has become synonymous with some of the best whites of Chile, the Casablanca Valley is full of dozens of bodegas who either grow fruit here or come from outside to source from local growers for their own white wine programs. The valley runs from east to west, which means that its westernmost vineyards receive the most cooling influence from the reliable afternoon sea breezes. The soils also tend to be heavier in clay in the west, whereas the eastern end of the valley is warmer and its soils are predominantly granitic. Sauvignon blanc thrives here, Chardonnay does well and Pinot noir is not uncommon.