Haras de Pirque 2009 Maipo Valley Sauvignon Blanc

*Bottle #94: Haras de Pirque 2009 Maipo Valley Sauvignon Blanc
*Price Tag: $13
*Running Tab: $1,280
*Retailer: Village Wines

My statements usually come in pairs or triples. Pairs because I usually only have two reasonable points and triples because journalism school merited it as giving rhythm to words. Likewise, my glasses of wine also usually come in pairs and triples.

Statement #1: This wine has three different names. Front label identifies the wine at Haras Estate Sauvignon Blanc from Maipo Valley, Chile. Back label gives a Web address citing the name to be Haras de Pirque. Web address calls the wine Vina Haras de Pirque.

The issue here is product packaging/brand management. It’s like when you misspell the varietal on the label. Does no one check for consistency or copy-edit in the wine world?

*Please mind my type-os…

Statement #2: If you read further back into my early days of this blog, I dog on the Big Guys, mostly because, well, they’re big. Now, in my immense increase of wisdom, serenity, maturity and modesty, I know wonderful wines can come from producers in all shapes and sizes.

That being said, this wine is an imported project of Ste. Michelle Estates, the Washington Big Guy. However, that is not the issue. The issue is that I actually like the wine.

After extended investigation (I am a journalist, thank you), I found Haras de Pirque to be the actual name of the winery. Established in the early 1990′s by a high-profile Chilean entrepreneur in Pirque, one of the top grape-growing regions in Maipo Valley, the property now covers almost 1500 acres scaling the Andes Mountains. Limited by choice to five varietals in the vineyard, only two are white wine varieties – Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.

So really, what is in a name?

Story has it (aka their Web site) the naming of winery is in honor of Chile’s oldest thoroughbred horse breeding service, which was another passion of the founding entrepreneur of the winery. To this date, over a century later, the Haras (the breeder) provides for nearly 30 internationally competing racehorses in the Americas.

Which leads us to the Haras de Pirque, the wine.

Quintessential Sauvignon Blanc just-cut grass aromas arose immediately in the nose of the wine, with fresh-squeezed citrus juices, mandarin and grapefruit. Also present were soft herbal tones of lemongrass and a minerality brought to you by the granite soils on the mountain vineyard slopes.

The palate was surprisingly lush in fruit and bright with its acidity, thanks to the harsh drop in temperature at night in the Maipo Valley, allowing the grapes to gain natural acidity and complexity. Crisp and vibrant in grapefruit, peach and gooseberries, this Sauvignon Blanc was balanced yet still rousing and refreshing.

Considering it was 62 degrees today, I’m taking this wine as a model patio sipper. No, it didn’t blow my mind and but yes, I could consume a lot of this while I float on Lake Washington this summer.

Score: 7.