Review: Ventisquero 2016 Sauvignon Blanc Reserva 'Alma de los Andes' Casablanca Valley, Chile ($15)

One of the best things about Chilean Sauvignon Blanc is how direct it often is, showing textbook grapefruit and grass notes that the Loire Valley made famous. That said, some of the cooler parts of Chile, like Casablanca Valley, Lleyda, and San Antonio Valley can make some exotic and praiseworthy wines that rival Sauvignon Blancs from anywhere else in the world. For fifteen bucks, this white has ample zesty grapefuit flavor and pretty grass and mint notes, and as it warms slightly in the glass it gets broader and more complicated with subtle, musky papaya flavors. It's a bargain. (92 Points)