Zonte’s Footstep Excalibur Sauvignon Blanc 2023

For many, the Adelaide Hills is the go-to place for Sauvignon Blanc in Australia. The region brings a touch of cool climate class to the variety, something evident in this ’23 Sauvignon. It’s a less is more kind of Sauvignon style; less obvious herbal power and more joyous tropical fruit punch and kick. Inviting tropical aroma notes jump from the glass led by passionfruit with stone fruits, citrus, apple with a touch of earthy tomato bush. It’s chockful of fruit which arrives with a notable touch of lemon drop confection, contributing a citrus zestiness to the finish. It’s a small but noteworthy addition to this attractive wine together with texture and briskness of acid cut. A wine that brings out the grape’s good side and puts it on show.

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