It’s easy to get blase about Sauvignon Blanc – a variety that so often is treated like an alcohol delivery system rather than a serious wine. Yet Shaw + Smith have realised that good Sauvignon Blanc is more than just a cash cow, it’s a grape that can be genuinely refreshing. You could argue, that it has made the winery name, and releases like the new Shaw + Smith Sauvignon Blanc 2022 are going to do no harm.
That’s because this is everything lots of people want in a young Sauv. Water clear, its smells of fresh fruit – all ultra varietal passionfruit meets gooseberry meets guava. It’s a ‘fruity’ wine too, with a pristine palate of stonefruit and citrus. So it tastes generous, yet it’s not sweet at all – that finish is taut, trim, with more than enough acidity.
It’s the sort of wine you can drink out of large plastic cups and empty a bottle, then take a closer look and realise that it’s perfectly contained. Precise, with acidity that is firm but not harsh, and no shortage of intensity. It’s not complex, it’s not strictly long either. But it is a very good example of what it’s trying to be – a refreshing white wine. As I said when I first tasted this in July, a strong release.
Best drinking: within the next 12 months. 17.7/20, 92/100. 12%, $31. Shaw + Smith website. Would I buy it? Yes.
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