New Release

3 December 2010

In the lead up to Christmas, we thought it would be good to look at a few sauvignon blancs. On a warm afternoon, these wines make for excellent drinking. The surprise for me was the quality of the Adelaide Hills wines. They possessed a drinkability that was lacking in some.

For sheer power, the Paretai by Matua Valley is a stand-out. I would encourage you to try a bottle and let me know what you think. For me though, the Geoff Weaver and the Shaw and Smith are the picks for drinking on a warm day.

Reviewed

Matua Valley – Sauvignon Blanc – Paretai – 2010 (18). Quite seductive nose. This is really forward and powerful with all the tropical fruit characters typical of the style, combined with quality winemaking inputs. There is viscosity and length to the palate, and a silky mouth-feel completes an altogether impressive wine. Incredibly long and seamless finish. A wine to sip, not drink.

Geoff Weaver – Sauvignon Blanc – 2009 (17.5). Fresh and clean, with tropical fruit on the nose. The palate is pure passionfruit, with lime juice and a touch of pineapple to close. Impressively long and zesty finish.

Mount Avoca – Sauvignon Blanc – Fume Blanc – 2009 – (17.5+). Lemony, viscous, long and taught. An impressive wine with character. This has had well handled winemaker’s inputs. Not in the mainstream, but very impressive with food.

Shaw and Smith – Sauvignon Blanc – 2010 (17.5). Lanolin and lemon on the nose. Fresh and zesty palate with lime acidity on the finish. This gets marks for being a really good drink. Bring on summer!

Clairault – Sauvignon Blanc – 2010 (17.4). Some tropical fruit on the nose with passionfruit and a touch of lantana. The palate is long, fresh and slightly viscous. Good mouth-feel and texture. An excellent example of Margaret River sauvignon blanc.

Clairault – Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc – 2010 (17.3). Unusual nose. Grassy and a touch of fresh herbs. Quite powerful and viscous fruit on the palate. Long and dense, this is an interesting wine.

Millbrook – Sauvignon Blanc – 2010 (17). Very grassy on the nose. The grassy notes continue on the palate with herbaceous fruit carried by lemony acid. Nicely textured mouth-feel. From Margaret River.

Yarrabank – Vintage – 2006 (16.8). Quite a complex nose, with autolysis notes on a fresh nose. The palate is firm but very long. The first impression is that the finish will be a touch hard; however the weight of fruit on the palate carries the wine to a very long conclusion. This is not subtle, but should develop well over the next 5 years.

Voyager Estate – Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon – 2010 (16.5). Subtle grass and herbaceous fruit characters on the nose. The palate is fresh and uncomplicated. Good drinking.

Matua Valley – Sauvignon Blanc (sparkling) – NV (16.3). Smells like sauvignon blanc, tastes like sauvignon blanc, must be sauvignon blanc. Light and refreshing with enough fruit weight and complexity to carry the finish. Why? Why not!

Plantaganet – Sauvignon Blanc – Omrah – 2009 (16). Lifted grassy nose that works. Lemony fruit on the palate. Powerful, long, textured and zesty.