Crucero Sauvignon Blanc

One of the strategies I used to follow when building the wine inventory at Foodstop was to couple a successful label with one of its sister labels. For example, if the Bogle Merlot was selling well, why not partner it on the shelf with the Bogle Cabernet or Zinfandel. My reasoning was, if one offering from a vineyard is solid, their other offerings are probably safe bets as well. Besides, in my hard-lines retail experience, nothing sells well all alone on the shelf, the human eye likes to see a grouping, a billboard, a pattern, etc.
Well, in the world of wine, I have discovered that this isn't always the case. As I have come to understand the effects of weather and soil on the grapes (the terroir, as the French say) I have learned that many vineyards cannot necessarily be good at all things. Think if you will, about the grapes that grow well in rocky soil with plenty of sunlight and the ones that thrive in cool, deep shady hillsides...how can they exist together?
True, you can grow Cabernet, Merlot, and Syrah together and many others, but for a rule of thumb, you cannot always depend on the same label being great with all grapes, you need to know where the wine comes from.
So I approached the Crucero Sauvignon Blanc with some wariness, only because I had to remind myself: "Just because the Crucero Carmenere is decent, doesn't mean the Sauvignon Blanc will be " And sure enough, the Sauvignon did not meet my expectations. Like most Chilean Sauvignon Blanc, this one tended towards the grassy, acidic scale, but it was the aroma that turned me off. It didn't smell right, and it's flavor was somewhat undistinguished.
Suffice to say that there are plenty of Chilean Sauvignon Blanc's that deliver complex flavor and terrific aromatic qualities for the same price or LOWER (8 - 10$) that I decided NO to this one. Caselliero del Diablo, Root 1, Chilensis, and some others I cannot recall off the top of my head are far more remarkable in value than this one.
...but I don't want to end on a negative note, so I will tell you that Crucero makes a decent 10$ Carmenere that serves well as an introduction to the mysteriously deep and flavorful Chilean grape. There are cheaper ones on the market, but this one delivers flavor, finish and some body for 10 bucks, so give it a whirl!