The smart Soumah Savarro 2023 + a few textural whites

More than a decade after the ‘I can’t believe it’s not Albarino’ crisis, Savagnin might have finally outgrown its pretty average Australian reputation. Maybe.

Wines like this Soumah Savarro 2023 sure could put Savagnin on a few more tables, though the style is closer to an Italian Traminer than a Jura Savagnin, if we’re playing grape games. What I like about this Australian Savagnin version is that it has some varietal charism, with some of that waxy almond thing that the Jura does so well (but this is riper). Apple juice, nuts, and a little yellow peach. There’s this gentle fleshiness here, with a lemony overtone that is really quite attractive. Filigreed and lightly creamy, it’s a really quite enjoyable, perfectly fresh, waxy, breezy, crisp white with good generosity. A win.

Best drinking: nowish. 18/20, 93/100. 13%, $30. Would I buy it? A few glasses easy.

And on the textural white train, several more:

Soumah Single Vineyard Pinot Grigio 2023

The Savarro wins in the Soumah popularity stakes, but it’s not a step down to this Soumah Single Vineyard Pinot Grigio 2023. A proud coppery pink edge this year, then musk, strawberry cream, grapefruit. It’s taut and citrusy, but also with these bright and generous ripe fruit highlights. Don’t serve it too cold and you get an awful lot of Grigio expression for few dollars.

Best drinking: nowish. 17.7/20, 92/100. 13.3%, $28. Would I buy it? Several glasses for a start.

Clandestine Vineyards Break Free Petite Blancs 2023

These Break Freee lofi wines are fun and smashable. More please. This white sees old vine Swan Valley Chenin + Frankland River Gewurz with minimal filtering or fining. Gewurtz offers the talc and musk fragrance with glee over what is a quite simply, reasonably neutral dry white palate. It’s crisp, and the texture gets a lift from the light haze, finishing with some chewy lemon rind phenolics. It’s plenty refreshing and drinkable, if a bit underpowered.

Best drinking: now. 17.5/20, 91/100. 11.5%, $38. Would I buy it? A few glasses.

Fuedo Arancia Quéto Pinot Grigio 2021

Sorry for the stock photo, but it was blur city with this bottleshot. Anyway, Feudo Arancia has a whole smorgasbord of affordable, if often generic, Sicilian wines that I often like. But with this organic Quéto range it all levels up.Better. More intense fruit flavours. Faster, stronger etc. This Pinot Grigio might have been even more delightful a year ago, but it’s still carrying an extra layer of chalky pear fruit. There’s a waft of hay, a little nutty development and then a finish that is a bit chubby, but not in an unattractive way. The palate power means this will win friends easily.

Best drinking: now. 17/20, 90/100. 12.5%, $40. Would I buy it? a glass or two.

Stockman’s Ridge Signature Gruner Veltliner 2022

More Aussie Gruner! This wine comes from Orange fruit, and spent some time in barrel with partial malo. Straw. A bit more classical green melon and celery Gruner fruit but the lees and barrel tends to push forward, covering up the fruit. It’s ok, and quite enjoyable, even if comes across as another leesy, pineapple cream wine rather than a distinct Gruner.

Best drinking: now. 17/20, 90/100. 12.5%, $40. Would I buy it? A glass.