SHAW & SMITH WINES
South Australia, Adelaide Hills

The Shaw and Smith wines are collectively as sleek, elegant and beguiling as they have ever been. The increase in quality since they moved into their own winery in 2000 continues to be evident, and there is an excitement about each of the wines that has made them one of the most successful producers in our portfolio.

While the Sauvignon Blanc remains their flagship wine, with Martin Shaw convinced that the 2005 is the best they have produced since they started in 1990, there is no doubt that the title for their best wine is a fiercely fought battle between the ‘M3 Vineyard’ Chardonnay and the Shiraz. Both were stars from the stunning 2002 vintage, yet the 2003 Chardonnay, rich and forward, and the supple and rippling Shiraz, are both highly successful successors.

The M3 vineyard, planted at Woodside in the Adelaide Hills in 1994, is now producing some outstanding Chardonnay, Sauvignon and Merlot, but it is only in the last couple of vintages that the eponymous Chardonnay has vaulted Shaw & Smith into the top rank of Australia’s Chardonnay producers. It is subtle, supple and elegant, the oak beautifully integrated with the fruit. As it spends more time in the bottle, its manifold complexity becomes increasingly evident. Though it is without doubt one of Australia’s best Chardonnays, this is not reflected in the price.

The Shiraz is a bit of a surprise. Neither Michael nor Martin thought that the Adelaide Hills were warm enough to ripen Shiraz properly. But in 2000, they made some wine for somebody else using fruit from a vineyard in Macclesfield, one of the warmer spots in the Hills. The wine impressed them so much that they sought out the grower and persuaded him to plant a vineyard that was contracted solely to Shaw and Smith. One taste of the wine illustrates that they were not recipitate in their action. The wine is spicy yet ripe, with superb elegance and balance, a thoroughly modern Aussie Shiraz.

The Unoaked Chardonnay displays a wonderful purity of fruit, remaining Australia’s outstanding example of this embattled style. Like the Sauvignon Blanc, this too is now sealed under stelvin.

The progress being made by Shaw & Smith is further illustrated by their Merlot. The structured plummy fruit makes this an impressive wine. As quality has improved, the price has come down, making it superb value. Despite being regarded as white wine specialists, the convincing Merlot and the new Shiraz are bound to cement their reputation as producers of classically elegant reds.

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