Succulent white peach, apricot and lemon curd flavors are wonderfully lush and complex, with whiffs of beeswax, powdered ginger and lemongrass that linger on a juicy frame.

The cooler vintage can be felt on the 2017 version of former Cloudy Bay winemaker Kevin Judd's Wild Sauvignon. It starts reductively, with wax, onion and salty notes but opens with air to something more buttery, like a Chardonnay, with citrus, stone fruit and green herbal aromas at the rear. The textural work on the palate is obvious, and while it's still full bodied, this vintage is a more focused and refreshingly restrained expression than we've seen in the past.

A difficult vintage due to cyclones during the harvest period, yet there's a highly successful, powerful wine here. You can expect flesh on the palate, tied together with a taut acid structure that leaves you smacking your lips. Flinty characters, flirty floral aromas and a tangy green element combine on the mid-length finish, reminiscent of nettles and mint. Drink in the short to medium term.