Sauvignon Blanc

1999 Carmen Sauvignon Blanc Reserve, Valle de Casablanca ($12). This exemplary sauvignon blanc is a splendid example of the improvement of Chile's white wines. It's a full-bodied, yeasty, dry wine with flavors of honey, herbs, figs and well-integrated oak. This complex, intense wine ranks with many of the finer California sauvignons blancs in this price range. It's a natural to serve with grilled salmon, swordfish or chicken.-

1997 Beringer Founders' Estate Cabernet Sauvignon ($10) and Sauvignon Blanc ($10).Beringer's newly released Founders' Estate line should be a big commercial success. The four bottlings (cabernet, merlot, chardonnay, sauvignon blanc) are not in the class of Beringer's Napa Valley wines, but they're good values in their price niche. I don't see that any of them cheapen the Beringer name, though the chardonnay lagged a little. The best two were the cabernet, a medium-bodied red wine with good grip and black cherry flavor, and the sauvignon blanc, a crisp, dry, lightly herbal white with refreshing snap-pea flavor.

2000 Brancott Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough ($10). New Zealand sauvignon blanc can take some getting used to. Most, like this Brancott, are intensely herbal. That can put off some wine drinkers, but those who appreciate this style of wine will find a terrific example in this brash young wine - at a very enticing price. This wine shows intensely grassy flavors with hints of juniper, mint, figs, herbs and tropical fruit. It would be an exciting match with grilled shrimp, crabs or Cajun-style dishes.

2003 Casa Lapostolle Sauvignon Blanc, Rapel Valley ($10). This full-bodied Chilean white wine is very different from the grassy, breezy style of sauvignon blanc you might be used to. Plumper and more viscous than many a chardonnay, it ladles out heaping helpings of fig, herb, nut, melon, vanilla and honey. There's a touch of residual sugar, but it's basically a dry wine. Its powerful 14 percent alcohol is well-integrated. Not a casual sipping wine, it needs to be served with substantial, flavorful food, such as spicy Asian dishes, grilled salmon or swordfish or poultry.

2007 Hagafen Sauvignon Blanc From: Napa Valley, Calif. Price: $18 Serve with: Fish, chicken, matzo This is a well-made, fresh, dry sauvignon blanc that is well worth tasting whether you need a kosher wine or not. It offers intense flavors of gooseberry, fig, lime, apples and spice. It finishes with a lively acidity and doesn't appear to have been hurt at all by the pasteurization process that makes it mevushal (capable of being handled by gentiles without losing its kosher status)

1999 Quivira Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc, Dry Creek Valley, Fig Tree Vineyard ($16). This is simply an extraordinary California wine at its price. A full-bodied dry white wine, it offers a complex and fascinating flavor profile: herbs, minerals, figs, vanilla, nuts, melons and even a hint of cherry. If you're used to selecting that other white-wine grape, rest assured that this sauvignon blanc puts most chardonnays in its price class to shame. It deserves to be served with roast poultry or, better yet, salmon.

1997 Callaway Sauvignon Blanc, Temecula ($9).Sauvignon blancs can be rather austere, severe and overtly herbal wines. The Callaway is none of the above. This fresh, fruity, dry wine from Southern California is a delight for spring and summer consumption. There's plenty of melon and peach fruit, and the herbal flavors play a supporting role. There seems to be a touch of residual sugar, but that might just be the generous fruit leaving an impression of sweetness. This is an excellent choice to serve someone who's just learning about sauvignon blanc.