WINE: Sauvignon Gris

As I said earlier today I forgot my camera in my excitement of going to the wine tasting. Luckily for me there is a press kit for this particular wine. So thank you to the Cousino-Macul winery in Chile for the use of the photo.

My first thought upon seeing the label was that it was a new blend to me. I was wrong. It is not a blend at all but an actual grape variety that originated in the Bordeaux region. It has existed for well over 100 years but nobody told me. It yielded a small crop so it wasn't replanted after it had been hit with phylloxera (an insect) until the 1980's. It is a certified variety, #917 if that means anything to you.

The Cousino family has been growing this variety since the mid 1800's in Chile. They used to blend it with the other varieties in the vineyard. In the 1980's they decided to isolate the different varieties and confirm their "lineage".

I for one am glad they did. The cooling night air coming down from the Andes Mountains creates a crisp, well balanced wine. I liked the way it felt in my mouth, silky smooth. The 2007 harvest apparently ripened early. They had a drop in yields in almost all the varieties that year but they got excellent results from the harvest. It was buttery textured with a grapefruit flavour. I really would like to have more of this one. All the wines that evening were under $20 Canadian.