Casa Silva Sauvignon Gris 2005

Produced from 90 and 100 year old vines that are the oldest in Colchagua, the 2005 Casa Silva Sauvignon Gris is reason alone to propagate more of the rare Sauvignon Gris variety. As a relative of Sauvignon Blanc, Sauvignon Gris often yields a dry medium weight wine with lots of aromatic profile, but this Casa Silva offering takes this excellent but obscure variety to new heights. The 2005 Casa Silva Sauvignon Gris sports a beautiful color and a great nose, which is, perhaps, best described as aromatic fireworks. Melon, fig, and pure freshly squeezed citrus aromas make this wine a feast for the olfactory. Happily, the same long unique flavors, along with a gentle mineral tone, fill the mouth and linger on the palate long after the wine has been consumed. We suggest serving this outstanding offering between 40°-50° F.

Seafood is the first word and, perhaps, the last word as well in accompaniments to the 2005 Casa Silva Sauvignon Gris. Clams, mussels, oysters, and shrimp are all good bets with this pure, tasty unique wine. Specifically, Shrimp Ceviche and Seafood and Cheese Empanadas provide especially fine complements to Casa Silva’s flagship white wine and all are a great way to wow a crowd. Chilean Sea Bass or marinated Yellow Fin Tuna, cooked over a charcoal or mesquite fire, offer other terrific pairings. Nonetheless, we suggest you not limit this fine white wine to seafood. The Casa Silva Sauvignon Gris accompanies hors d’oeuvres, pastas, and a host of pork and ham dishes with aplomb, too. Furthermore, we like it as an aperitif. Enjoy!

An impeccably clean well-run winery, Casa Silva continues to astound with the quality as well as the variety of its wines. Undoubtedly, this is one of a hand full of South America’s very finest wine estates. Located some two hundred kilometers south of Santiago, in the heart of Colchagua, an area many are now calling Chile’s Napa Valley, Casa Silva has garnered more recognition and awards at international wine competitions than any other Chilean winery. Furthermore, Catad’Or Hyatt, Chile’s most prestigious wine competition, has named Casa Silva “the Best Chilean Producer” three consecutive times. And that’s not all, the International Wine & Spirit Competition recently named Casa Silva as “The best South American Producer.” Kudos to the Silva family, father Mario and sons Mario Pablo, Gonzalo, and Francisco, and Mario Geise, the winery’s outstanding consulting enologist, for taking this beautiful property to such lofty heights in less than a decade. Surprisingly, Casa Silva’s inception dates back to only 1997, the year this property began bottling premium wines under its own name. However, historical accounts tell us that the Silva family’s predecessors were pioneers in Colchagua more than a century ago, when they brought the first grape varieties from France to their Angostura estate at the base of the towering Andes. Today, the Silvas remain pioneers: they are Colchagua’s foremost experts on Carmenère, Chile’s emblematic red grape variety, and they produce the finest Sauvignon Gris we have ever tasted. Moreover, this great property is at the vanguard of South America’s success with many other grape varieties, including Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Viognier, and of course Cabernet Sauvignon.