I am becoming a big fan of Australian wines. The quality of wine making throughout Australia has been exceptional in the past 5 years and wines have benefited from overall very good weather. Furthermore, these wines are typically outstanding values do to their relatively new place in the market and large yields.

The number of plantings of Suavignon Blanc is on the rise and over the next 5 years I feel the quality will be comparable to what we expect from their neighbors in New Zealand who have been making great Sauvignon Blanc for 10 years. The wines have great flavor profiles with ripe fruits and great overall freshness. The best in Australia are currently coming from the areas with a cooler climate which tend to allow the grapes to achieve perfect concentration and acidity. Expect great Suavignon Blanc to come from areas such as the Yarra Valley, the Adelaide Hills, and Tumbarumba. (Image: SMILING QUOKKA – © Leroi Keiller | Dreamstime.com)

The 2005 Vintage was very good overall for Australian wines. At harvest, fruits showed a delicate balance of acidity and ripeness with great concentration and depth across the board. The favorable conditions led to Sauvignon Blanc that produced wines with good fruit, citrus quality and a refreshing acidity. I recently had a blind tasting with the following wines and was very happy with the overall quality and value of each wine listed below. I recommend keeping an eye on the vintage reports for the next few years of Australian Sauvignon Blanc. I feel safe in saying that the quality and potential of these wines is just beginning to show.

Salitage Sauvignon Blanc “Treehouse” Pemberton (2005): Medium bouquet with ripe apple and pear. Light body, very crisp with solid citrus notes. Refreshing finish. Good wine. My rating: 85 pts

Ferngrove Vineyards Estate Sauvignon Blanc-Semillon Frankland River Western (2005): Straw, peach, citrus nose with minerals and more peach on the palette. Citrus into the crisp finish. Well done and great price. My rating: 88 pts

Cape Mentelle Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc Floral nose with orange and vanilla. Lacks a solid structure, but the texture is creamy a ptsnd has a good amount of grapefruit that carries into a crisp finish. Overall a great value. My rating: 87 pts

Shaw & Smith Sauvignon Blanc (2005): Wow.A floral bouquet with white peach and citrus. Very well structured and perfectly tuned wine with an oustanding balance of acidity and fruits. Mineral notes are refreshing and lead to a pleasant finish with great length. Very good. My rating: 92 pts