This year's Decanter World Wine Awards Regional Trophy for Chilean Sauvignon Blanc over £15 went to Casa Marin, Cipreses Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc, San Antonio 2013 (13.5%)
Tasted against:
- Calyptra, Gran Reserva Sauvignon Blanc, Cachapoal 2011
- Concha y Toro, Casillero del Diablo Reserva Privada Sauvignon Blanc, Limarí Valley 2013
Profile:
We want to make the statement that Chile can produce high-quality wines,’ says Casa Marin’s owner/winemaker Maria Luz Marin.
‘If people have more money to spend on a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc they look to New Zealand or Sancerre but never think of Chile. Our objective is to position our Sauvignon Blancs among the best in the world. With this wine we want to show that Chile can make outstanding whites.’ This Trophy winner, Casa Marin’s flagship white, certainly proves that point.
Casa Marin was established at the turn of the century when Maria Luz Marin eventually realised her long-held ambition to own a vineyard. The initial 25 hectares has increased to 46ha but this is the ceiling due to the limits of the winery and availability of water; quality not quantity is the main aim here.
She planted Lo Abarca against the advice of friends and industry advisers, the perceived wisdom being that it was too cold, too cloudy and too close to the sea to generate quality results – just 4km away, it is the closest vineyard to the Pacific Ocean in Chile. It’s fair to say that Marin has had the last word.
Written by Decanter
