Variety: 100% Sauvignon Blanc
Region: Leyda Valley, Chile
Cost: $25 (SRP)
Winemaker’s Notes: Bright pale golden color with shades of green. Shows a good intensity and complexity of fresh lime and a mineral sensation. Overall it’s a bit fresher compared to previous vintages, even in a warm year like 2020. After a few minutes in the glass shows some white flowers characters like orange blossoms and a subtle tropical note of white peach and physalis with a hint of very fresh pineapple. In the mouth it’s concentrated with a balanced acidity that gives a creamy and fresh feeling with a good contrast of a salinity taste in the back palate.
Ideal for pairing with fish and seafood dishes.
My Review: Let me just start by saying that I really liked this wine. As I’ve tasted my way through a series of Sauvignon Blancs from Chile the last few weeks, the recurring theme has been to pair them with seafood, often oysters or other shellfish. It was only a matter of time before I finally did that.
We paired the 2020 Amayna Sauvignon Blanc with mussels that we cooked in a white wine, garlic, and cream broth with chorizo, and I have to say that it was pretty amazing. But before we talk pairing, let’s talk about the wine itself.
In the glass the 2020 Amayna Sauvignon Blanc was a bright golden color, pale with hints of green. On the nose I got aromas of lime and mineral. Overall the wine’s nose was fresh and tropical, reminding me an island getaway. Given that the grapes are grown just 8 miles from the ocean, that’s not in any way surprising. In the mouth the wine was bright and balanced, with good acidity and flavors of lime and orange blossoms on the front before giving way to mineral and saline on the finish that were refreshing and lent the wine a nice crisp, clean ending.
Like I said, the wine paired great with the mussels we made, though I think any shellfish that took advantage of the salinity of the wine would be a good pairing (oysters are obvious and would probably be pretty damn amazing).
This is a great wine, especially at the sub $30 price point; definitely one I’d grab again, especially as we work our way through the dog days of summer here in North Carolina. This is the signature wine of the vineyard and it shows, with the care given to growing the grapes and crafting the wine shining through.
Disclaimer: I received this wine as a free sample for review.
