Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2012 Terrunyo Sauvignon Blanc from the Casablanca Valley is produced by Ignacio Recabarren in Puente Alto. They sometimes harvest at night, since they have to transport the grapes in trucks for some 100 kilometers. It’s from a riper vintage, but still fresh in the region. It’s very Sauvignon, with aromas of grapefruit and lime with bare hints of greengage, a powerful palate, very apt for the table. The wine offers plenty of chalky, marine, saline notes, superb acidity and an unctuous texture. This is a very good Sauvignon Blanc.
Rating: 90+ Points
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Wine Enthusiast
The 2012 vintage was so hot in Chile that harvests came very early. Thus finding mature, complex SBs in this year won’t be easy. This perennially excellent wine is as good as you’ll find in 2012. Scallion, lime and other green aromas precede a zesty, hard-driving palate. Sea shell, grapefruit, lime and chervil flavors set up a tight, minerally finish.
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.