Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Wine & Spirits
A taut white full of citrus flavors, this sauvignon is structurally strong, with lively acidity from start to finish—the kind of wine that immediately invites a second glass. Since his first release with the 1999 vintage, Ignacio Recabarren has made Terrunyo the reference for coastal Chilean sauvignon blanc.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2013 Terrunyo Sauvignon Blanc is sourced from the cooler part of the Casablanca Valley very close to Valparaiso and produced by Ignacio Recabarren in Puente Alto, Maipo. Again, they sometimes harvest at night to avoid daytime heat on the grapes during the long trip to the winery. From a very cold vintage, the 2013 is an austere Sauvignon, with a citric personality – sharp, vertical and focused – as well as notes of crushed rocks and gooseberries, followed by a salty finish with electric acidity and minerality. This Sancerre-styled Sauvignon should age well.
-
Wine Enthusiast
Minerally citrus aromas are the greeting on this high-end, pure SB. Stony minerality and citric acidity make for a fresh, polished mouthfeel, while flavors of lime, passion fruit and grapefruit are focused and smooth, and not at all soft. When people talk about fine cool-climate Chilean SB, this is what they should be referencing. Editors' Choice
-
Wine Spectator
This crackles with fresh acidity, featuring well-concentrated flavors of green apple, Meyer lemon and blood orange that extend with rich, spicy details. The juicy finish shows a crunchy minerality. Pure and complex.
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.