Australia

Adelaide Hills

Australia wine regions

About Adelaide Hills

Adelaide Hills runs along the spine of the Mount Lofty Ranges right above the city, and most of its best vineyards sit above 400 metres. That altitude is the whole story - it turns a hot latitude into one of South Australia's coolest pockets. The Hills do vibrant Sauvignon Blanc (Shaw and Smith run the place), elegant Chardonnay (Petaluma and Tapanappa), perfumed Pinot Noir (Ashton Hills), and a fast-growing reputation for peppery cool-climate Shiraz. Two tiny sub-zones, Lenswood and Piccadilly Valley, sit at the highest, coolest end and make some of the most refined wines on the mainland. The 2019 Cudlee Creek fires and 2020 smoke taint cost the region nearly a third of its vines; 2021 and 2022 came back beautifully.

Australia wine regions

Vintages

40 · 2005–2024

Rating:

95+

90-94

85-89

80-84

<80

PeakReadyHold

Year	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015	2014	2013	2012	2011	2010	2009	2008	2007	2006	2005
Red
White

Outstanding Adelaide Hills Vintages

The best recent vintages rated excellent or exceptional.

Red

2024

Ready

95Exceptional

Cool and even growing season with no major heat events. Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay show excellent acid retention and aromatic lift, while Pinot Noir from the high country is fragrant and finely structured.

2023

Ready

94Excellent

Late, cool vintage after a wet spring. Sauvignon Blanc is bright and herbaceous, Chardonnay tightly wound, and Pinot Noir medium-bodied with fine tannin.

2022

Ready

96Exceptional

Considered one of the great recent Adelaide Hills vintages. Cool nights and long ripening gave whites of poise and length, and Pinot Noir of real depth.

2021

Ready

96Exceptional

An outstanding year for cool-climate whites and reds. Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay are vibrant and concentrated, Pinot Noir perfumed and balanced.

2019

Ready

91Excellent

Warm, dry growing season with low yields. Wines are riper and more concentrated than the regional norm, with the best Chardonnay and Pinot Noir showing good balance.

2018

Ready

95Exceptional

Excellent vintage with a long, even ripening window. Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc are bright and structured, Pinot Noir from the high country aromatic and ageworthy.

2017

Ready

94Excellent

Cool and late after a wet winter. Classic Hills profile with fragrant Sauvignon Blanc, tightly wound Chardonnay, and elegant cool-climate Shiraz.

2016

Ready

93Excellent

Warm early-season conditions then a benign finish. Riper, more generous whites and reds than the regional norm.

2015

Ready

95Exceptional

Strong vintage across the board. Sauvignon Blanc shows classic passionfruit lift, Chardonnay has line and length, and Pinot Noir from Piccadilly and Lenswood is fragrant and balanced.

2014

Ready

92Excellent

Warm summer with a few heat events. Best wines come from the highest sites that held acidity.

White

2024

Ready

95Exceptional

2023

Ready

94Excellent

Late, cool vintage after a wet spring. Sauvignon Blanc is bright and herbaceous, Chardonnay tightly wound, and Pinot Noir medium-bodied with fine tannin.

2022

Ready

96Exceptional

Considered one of the great recent Adelaide Hills vintages. Cool nights and long ripening gave whites of poise and length, and Pinot Noir of real depth.

2021

Ready

96Exceptional

An outstanding year for cool-climate whites and reds. Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay are vibrant and concentrated, Pinot Noir perfumed and balanced.

2019

Ready

91Excellent

Warm, dry growing season with low yields. Wines are riper and more concentrated than the regional norm, with the best Chardonnay and Pinot Noir showing good balance.

2018

Ready

95Exceptional

Excellent vintage with a long, even ripening window. Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc are bright and structured, Pinot Noir from the high country aromatic and ageworthy.

2017

Ready

94Excellent

Cool and late after a wet winter. Classic Hills profile with fragrant Sauvignon Blanc, tightly wound Chardonnay, and elegant cool-climate Shiraz.

2016

Ready

93Excellent

Warm early-season conditions then a benign finish. Riper, more generous whites and reds than the regional norm.

2015

Ready

95Exceptional

Strong vintage across the board. Sauvignon Blanc shows classic passionfruit lift, Chardonnay has line and length, and Pinot Noir from Piccadilly and Lenswood is fragrant and balanced.

2014

Ready

92Excellent

Warm summer with a few heat events. Best wines come from the highest sites that held acidity.

Sub-regions

Climate

CoolHigh altitudeMediterranean influence

For South Australia this is cold country: winters are wet, summers stay moderate, and cloud and rain come more readily than anywhere else near Adelaide. The Mediterranean rhythm of dry ripening weather still holds, but at these elevations the nights turn genuinely cool and harvest can run weeks behind the valley floors below.

Terroir

Sandy loamPodzolicDiverse

The Mount Lofty Ranges are ancient, folded country, and the soils change with every bend in the road: grey-brown podzolic earth, sandy loam over clay, patches of ironstone and weathered rock. Aspect and slope matter as much as soil here, which is why the Hills read less like one vineyard and more like a hundred small ones.

Typical Aromas

PassionfruitCitrus blossomAppleFlintWild strawberryWhite pepper

Explore the aroma wheel