Casablanca Santa Isabel Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2001

Casablanca Santa Isabel Estate Sauvignon Blanc (Casablanca) 2001: I don't make any secret about my passion for some of the Chilean Sauvignon Blanc wines on the market. Sure, I've tasted many disappointing examples, but the Santa Isabel Estate wine from the Casablanca winery, in the cool climate region of Casablanca, one of the more northerly wine-growing regions in Chile, has impressed in a number of vintages. The 2001 is one of the best yet, surpassing the 2000 and the 1999, both of which I have tasted during the past year. It has a pale colour, but it has an outgoing nose of grass, greengage and green capsicum. There is good balance on the palate, with a weight of classic, dry Sauvignon fruit cut with the desired acidity. Clean and crisp, and so drinkable. Very good. (2/10/01)