In an unguarded moment, Shaw + Smith winemaker Adam Wadewitz called 2014 ‘difficult’ in the Adelaide Hills, with poor flowering, uneven yields and a stop-start combination of intense heat and the odd downpour making life challenging.Still, if anyone can pull the rabbit out of a hat it is the Shaw + Smith, who I’d rate as one of the most professional wine craftspeople in the nation – and Wadders is right up there amongst the brightest stars in the industry.

This is cleverly made. There’s passionfruit and a little melon Hills signature to kick things off, in an open, slightly grassy style. Maybe less tropical than usual. It tastes a little light and sharply drawn this vintage, but the acid is soft and not harsh – important for what looks like an earlier picked style. Clean, fresh, perhaps a little underpowered but everything packed in as it should be.Not a classic S + S Sauv, but a good outcome.

Source: Sample
Tasted: November 2014
Drink: 2014-2016
Score: 17/20, 90/100
Would I buy it? I’d drink this and probably buy it on a list. Still refreshing.
Buy online: Dan Murphys, Shaw + Smith website