Long accepted as the benchmark for Adelaide Hills sauvignon blanc, and you don’t have to go past the bouquet to figure out why: just about every tropical fruit you can imagine is there – custard apple at one extreme, kiwi fruit and green pineapple at the other.

This vintage seems especially aromatic. It’s pale, and scented with lemons and limes. The palate has the richness of a warm, ripe year as well as refreshing acidity. The grapes were hand-picked, and no acid was added.

A deliciously fresh and juicy, lightweight palate with soft citrusy/snow pea flavours and a pleasant, popular, fruit-sweet lift to the long, lingering finish.

This vintage seems especially aromatic. It’s pale, and scented with lemons and limes. The palate has the richness of a warm, ripe year as well as refreshing acidity. The grapes were hand-picked, and no acid was added.

A deliciously fresh and juicy, lightweight palate with soft citrusy/snow pea flavours and a pleasant, popular, fruit-sweet lift to the long, lingering finish.

Many people view this wine as Australia’s premier sauvignon blanc, and, given this release, they have a strong argument. It’s very pure, with ripe varietal characteristics of gooseberry, lantana blossom and lime. The well balanced palate is bursting with flavour and life.

Filled with cut grass, lime, lemon, lantana and passionfruit, this is a crunchy and flamboyant Shaw + Smith of party-ready exuberance, toned by the acid cut of cool Adelaide Hills and full on the finish.

Not only is this a benchmark sauvignon blanc for the Hills, it’s a style leader across the country. The 2016 vintage has delivered a fabulous citrus zest excitement to more varietally familiar (and in this case well-tempered) tropical fruit salad with passionfruit notes. The wine has great energy, the palate zings with pure squeezed lemon and grapefruit juices, and the finish is textured and salivating. Bang on. 3.5 Stars