2011 Shaw + Smith Sauvignon Blanc Reviews
The Advertiser Top 100 Wines
9th November 2011
Tony Love
94 Points
One of Australia’s benchmarks, this year’s is restrained, flinty almost with briar and lantana background notes while the fruit plays between citrus and a dash of passionfruit. It’s incredibly slurpable, with more-ish texture and is as lithe and balanced as you could ever wish.
Winewise October 2011
Volume 27 No 4
Lester Jesberg
Another little gem from Shaw and Smith – all the more praiseworthy because conditions weren’t exactly ideal. The fresh, intense gooseberry aromas and flavours impressed the whole panel. The palate offers intensity, balance and length.
The Age – Sydney Morning Herald Good Wine Guide 2012
Nick Stock
91 Points
The “tricky” vintage conditions tested all winemakers in the Adelaide Hills, but the experienced hands have delivered a strong result here. Plenty of lime citrus, some tropical fruits, melon and passionfruit, grassy elements and fresh-cut herbs – it’s all here. The palate’s crisp and composed, acidity holds fresh, and they’ve struck the right balance.
The Sunday Examiner
Winsor Dobbin 14th August 2011
A rare triumph from what winemaker Martin Shaw describes as one of the toughest vintages that he can remember. The wet and humid conditions wiped out all of their shiraz and 90 per cent of their chardonnary but this is a lovely aromatic wine, with lower sugar levels but lashings of passionfruit/grapefruit flavour and really nice length with good acidity. A worthy challenger to the top Kiwi savvys.
Sarah Ahmed Posted: 16th September 2011
A pale hue with a greenish tinge and soaring aromatics give the game away. This is an intense, lipsmacking and linear, but by no means skinny, Sauvignon. Vividly etched with passionfruit, pea pod and hints of bay leaf, Hill-Smith told me they don’t normally include pressings but, this year, a small percentage of press wine was included. Great (100% natural acid) line makes for a well focused, persistent finish. A cracker.
SipYourStyle.com.au
Written By Katrina Holden Posted on September 21, 2011
Shaw + Smith are creators of Australia’s benchmark sauvignon blanc from Australia, from the cool climate Adelaide Hills region, arguably Australia’s most prominent region for savvy. This Aussie sauv blanc has an aromatic nose with vibrant tropical fruits of passionfruit and even some soft spice notes. It doesn’t have the really overt grassy, asparagus, herbaceous notes that are synonymous with Kiwi sauv blanc. A bright, zesty and fruit-driven palate reveals great texture and delicious lingering flavours with crisp, clean acidity. If you haven’t tried Aussie sauv blanc before, this is one of the best – give it a go. – Katrina.
The Age (the melbourne magazine)
Issue 83/ September 2011
Peter Bourne
Cousins Martin Shaw and Michael Hill Smith made their first sauvignon blanc way back in 1989. Then it was pioneering; now it’s a benchmark – and the 2011 is right on form. Fresh passionfruit and gooseberry perfumes leap from the glass. It’s bright and breezy with a burst of mouth-watering acidity to finish. Perfect with fresh goat curd.
10th September 2011
Definitely a poor vintage for much of the Adelaide Hills having talked to many winemakers that simply left fruit on the vines. It’s typical of the house style which I’ve not seen for a couple of years. It’s certainly not on the herbaceous side, much more fruit friendly with a dominant aroma of passionfruit and citrus. The palate delivers all that fruit purity and more, it’s ripe and textured with a lemon and grapefruit tang before those trademark zesty acids come piercing through.
I tried it with Salmon fishcakes served with sautéed asparagus , fennel, zucchini, leeks cooked in butter and chili and it worker really well. The acids cut through the starch of the potato and the oil of the fish was aided by with the zingy lemon, while the flavour of the fruit complemented the chilli heat and worked well with the asparagus and fennel. I rarely drink Sauvignon Blanc these days but if I were to, this would still be at the top of my list.
WBM, November 2011
Mike Bennie
92/100
A perennial favourite for Aus Sauv Blanc and kind of the yardstick to which most commercial producers look to. 2011 sees a toning down of tropical fruits with some glassy texture and frisky citrus making the wine more comely.
Daily Telegraph 29th October 2011
Jeff Collerson
Made from Adelaide Hills fruit since 1990 and now our benchmark sauvignon blanc. More subtle than those from NZ’s Marlborough but retaining the grape’s crowd-pleasing pristine and incisive granny smith apple/nashi pear characters.
Illawarra Mercury
Kerry Skinner 21st September 2011
The 2011 vintage was one of the worst on record for the Adelaide Hills. Thankfully Shaw + Smith’s savvy survived the carnage caused by the cold, wet conditions because it is without a doubt one of the best in the land. It’s a sheer delight, elegant and aromatic with pristine passionfruit and citrus flavours, vibrant acidity, freshly cut grass characters. Lively acidity and a crisp, clean finish. Drink with fresh seafood.
Surf Coast & Bellarine Times 9th August 2011
Jon Helmer
The previous 2010 release was regarded as quite probably the best release to date, so the challenging 2011 vintage was always going to be up against it, but I think the Shaw + Smith boys have really showed their worth here by producing a terrific wine that stacks up with any of their past releases from much easier vintages. Even at this early release stage, you can see the structure is all there – bright, tight and vibrant flavours with remarkably good acidity and more of that lovely sauvignon blanc tropical crunch this time than the expected unique herbaceousness characters overpowering the wine. Top effort I say!