Viña Marty Goutte d’Argent Sauvignon Blanc 2023 Leyda Valley, San Antonio, Chile 75cl

Viña Marty was founded in Chile in 2008 by Pascal Marty, a French winemaker with a Bordeaux and California background. His Goutte d’Argent range takes a familiar grape and treats it in a way almost no one else does, drawing its fruit from the cool, coastal Leyda Valley.

This is pure Sauvignon Blanc fermented with the sake yeast that Viña Marty is uniquely allowed to use outside Japan. Because the yeast works at lower temperatures, it reshapes the wine’s texture and aromatics, adding a creamy, savoury dimension to a grape usually prized for sharp, simple freshness. The label was created with the artists behind the Drops of God manga.

2023 is a fresh, current vintage that shows this Sauvignon Blanc at its most vivid, with the aromatics at full lift. It is a wine to enjoy young for its energy and its unusual texture, while the recent harvest keeps the citrus and floral notes bright, so there is no reason to wait.

The nose is intense, with citrus and white-flower aromas to the fore. The palate is where the surprise lies, an unexpectedly creamy texture and a savoury, saline finish that carry the fruit further than a typical Sauvignon Blanc, giving weight without losing freshness.

If you love aromatic whites but fancy something that breaks the mould, this rewards curiosity. The mix of zip and creamy texture makes it a natural with oysters, ceviche, grilled fish or fresh goat’s cheese. Few Sauvignon Blancs anywhere are made quite like it, which is precisely the appeal.