Shaw + Smith, `Balhannah Vineyard` Adelaide Hills Shiraz

The dynamic partnership of cousins Martin Shaw and Michael Hill Smith MW began in 1989 when the duo decided to realise their dream of making wine together. A talent for wine runs in this family, with Martin honing his craft at the University of Bordeaux, and Michael being the first Australian to pass the notoriously difficult Master of Wine exams in 1988. Since founding Shaw + Smith, they have consistently made exciting, refined wines, exclusively from the Adelaide Hills, that rank among Australia’s best.

Shaw + Smith’s wines are made from several sites throughout the Adelaide Hills and they specialise in grape varieties suited to the cooler climate, namely Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Shiraz. The Shaw + Smith winemaking team consists of chief winemaker Adam Wadewitz, one of Australia’s brightest winemaking talents, winemaker Matthew Large and assistant winemaker Alex Clark. Adam was named the WINE magazine Winemaker of the Year 2022 in recognition of his ten vintages at the helm of Shaw + Smith. The trio work closely with viticulturist Murray Leake, who succeeded Ray Guerin when he retired in 2015. Together they are taking Shaw + Smith to new heights. “30 years ago, we made the wines in the winery; today, we make them in the vineyard,” says Adam.

The Sauvignon Blanc is sourced predominantly from their own vineyards at Balhannah and Lenswood. The original ‘M3’ vineyard was sold, as new clones and improved vineyard technology had left it a relic of an earlier period. Subsequently, the grapes for this wine are now a selection of the estate’s best fruit, a great deal of which now comes from ‘Lenswood’, a high-elevation vineyard purchased in 2012. This is one of the reasons why ‘M3’ Chardonnay has taken such a leap forward in quality over the past decade.

The Adelaide Hills Pinot Noir is also predominantly sourced from the ‘Lenswood’ vineyard. The clones used here are the 777 from Burgundy and MV6, the backbone of many of Australia's best Pinots. For the Shiraz, parcels from the warmer sub-area of Macclesfield give structure and richness, while the cooler ‘Balhannah’ vineyard contributes spice and perfume.

The single vineyard ‘Balhannah’ Shiraz is from a north-facing block behind the winery. Whole bunch fermentation and ageing in 500-litre French oak puncheons has resulted in a fragrant, intense and lively cool-climate Shiraz. The ironstone soils produce a mid-weight Shiraz with pepper and spice perfumes on the nose that evokes the best of Côte-Rôtie. The 2021 vintage won four major awards at the 2024 IWC awards, including the highly coveted Australian Red Trophy and Sustainable Trophy.

The single vineyard Chardonnay and single vineyard Pinot Noir come from the ‘Lenswood’ vineyard. The cooler nights here give the wines from this site their characteristic freshness and concentration. The ‘Lenswood’ Chardonnay is every bit as good as at the fabled Tolpuddle, Shaw + Smith’s Tasmanian project, but with more weight on the mid-palate and an alluring silky texture derived from a move from small barriques to 500-litre barrels. The ‘Lenswood’ Pinot Noir uses 30% whole bunch to lift the aromatics from this exceptional vineyard, giving the wine an alluring perfume and lovely grainy tannins on the palate.