Hewitson Madame M Blanc & Blanc 2021

What a dynamic duo! Blanc & Blanc not only brings the energy of Sauvignon Blanc and the grapey, floral prettiness of Muscat blanc à petits grains together in the one glass, but also two distinctively different regions in the Adelaide Hills and the Barossa Valley. Throw early-picked fruit and the resulting bright acidity into the mix, and this is one impressive wine. Musk, lemon, passionfruit, lantana and light herbals light up the bouquet and palate revealing a surprising degree of complexity and aromatic intensity. I really shouldn’t be too surprised given the Muscat grape has been grown in the Barossa Valley for 170 years, and Dean Hewitson estimates his Old Fence Line Block is also that old. Old vine Muscat is a national treasure, and here it shows its class as a blending partner in a modern, easy drinking, light-alcohol (11%) wine. Pink Lady apple, pear, mandarin zest fill the palate which is soft and textural with just a touch of residual sugar.  Acidity chimes in nicely to complete a delightfully light and aromatic white. A perfect match with Thai food.

Jeni Port

Wine critic at Winepilot

Jeni Port is one of Australia’s top wine communicators. Based in Melbourne, Jeni created the first wine column in the (then) Sun News-Pictorial before moving over to The Age and becoming that paper’s longest-serving wine writer. Over the years she has written for most Australian wine magazines and these days calls WinePilot home. She is also a Tasting Panel member on the Halliday Wine Companion. She was named Wine Communicator of the Year and Legend of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival in 2014 and in 2018 Legend of the Vine. She is a founding board member of Australian Women In Wine and is the co-deputy chair of Australia’s Wine List of the Year Awards and China’s Wine List of the Year Awards.

Wine writer and critic