So, funny story: I didn’t actually mean to buy this wine. I was reaching for a Spanish Rueda on the same rack and grabbed a wine with a similarly-colored label by mistake. Meet our accidental guest, the 2010 Hemisferio Sauvignon Blanc.
I share this story not just so we can all laugh at my space-case behavior, but because I never would have picked this up on purpose. Why? Because it’s a Chilean Sauvignon Blanc. I absolutely adore New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs because of their vibrant fruit, bell pepper notes, and overall intensity of flavor. I’ve also liked a lot of Sauvignon Blancs coming out of the US recently. But Chilean Sauvignon Blanc has never captured my heart. It’s often more vegetal than other SBs and, to my palate, veers on overly acidic.
This Hemisferio is a good example of why I generally don’t reach for a Chilean Sauvignon Blanc when I’m looking for a white wine. The overwhelming flavor I got from the Hemisferio was grass. It’s a sharp, intensely vegetal wine — not bad, just not my preference.
Rating: Not For Me (a new rating I just made up)
May I make a special request? I would love a recommendation for a nice dry rose in the $10 range. Any ideas would be much appreciated!
I am so going to hit the rosé section of the wine store this weekend! I’ve liked Goats do Roam rosé from South Africa in recent years but I haven’t tried the current vintage.