120 Sauvignon Blanc

120 Sauvignon Blanc

Vina Santa Rita

D.O. Valle Central, Chile

2011

"Honoring 120 patriots who helped lead Chile to independence"

According to legend, 120 patriots, exhausted after a long, hard battle during the fight for Chile's independence, reached the lands belonging to Santa Rita.  On that fateful night in 1814, these forces of liberty found refuge in the estate cellars.  Today, within these same cellars, our award-winning 120 wines are crafted to honor their heroic character.

Our 120 Sauvignon Blanc is crisp and youthful with concentrated aromas of citrus blossom and peach.  Fruity and floral nuances underscore the wine's fresh character.  A heavenly choice every time.

 A lot of wines these days can only pop off the shelf and into your shopping cart with a great graphic on the label.  Sometimes a catchy or comical name can help.

We selected the 120 (at one of New Hampshire's enormous state-run liquor stores) amid thousands and thousands of wines for three reasons:

A cousin of ours (whom we spent a delightful meal with recently) had mentioned that Sauv Blanc has become her go-to wine.  Barbara iterated that every restaurant in North America serves Chardonnay as its foremost white wine offering.  She's become unimpressed with its ubiquitous prescence on menus, and has opted for a white a little more fresh and a lot less oakey.  So, we took her recommendation.

We were on the lookout for semi-dry whites and roses, knowing it would be ridiculously hot and humid in Pennsylvania after a pleasantly foggy and cold Maine vacation.  At $6.99, it seemed a more than reasonable price for vino refreshment.

The 120 offered a brief explanation of their name on the front of the bottle (not commonly found among the many wine labels out there) and it pulled at a few heart strings:  Patriotism!  Independence!  South American dudes!  We imagine them hunkering together in the wine cellar, curiously popping corks for a boost in morale... wearing (of course) great, big sombreros and woolen ponchos... many a mustache drenched in purple sweat.

Now... to tasting:  this wine gives a fresh, grassy aroma.  We could not detect the scent of citrus blossom, but that may have something to do with never having lived in Florida.  Also, we found that the aroma is not as peachy as described.  Its appearance is wicked clear, with a bare hint of yellow ...but, who cares?

This Sauv Blanc is very refreshing, with slight notes of pear.  It's on the dry side, very clean, which is nice in the summertime.  We drank it with a tapas-based meal including some homemade salsa.  It interacted interestingly with the spice of jalapeno, amplifying the heat on the tongue.  If you enjoy the spiciness of Mexican (or maybe Thai) food, we'd recommend this on the side.  If you want a wine that quenches and brings down the intensity of Scoville units in your mouth, choose another.  Its crispness and light-fruitiness may lend a splendid pairing to pork roast and hot dogs in the summer.  YES, you don't always have to have beer with hot dogs!

Be sure to save a glass for after dinner, since 120 Sauvignon Blanc offers splendid refreshment on its own!

All in all, it's a good wine to drink when you're pissed off at a stupid storm that ruined a decent portion of your crop in your community garden plot and you've just come back from a nice, Northern vacation, and it's too freakin' hot here!  Something like that...