Winery & Vintage Info
The fruit for the Shaw + Smith Shiraz 2016 vintage is sourced from low yielding vines predominantly at Balhannah in the central Adelaide Hills, and from Echunga and Macclesfield to the south.
Hand picked and fermented as a combination of whole berries and whole bunches in open fermenters, with gentle plunging and minimal working. Aged in French oak for fourteen months, of which one third was new.
September’s start to the growing season was warmer than average leading to good canopy and fruit development. January rainfall provided relief from earlier warmer temperatures and was timely to aid fruit development through the ripening period, resulting in healthy fruit being harvested two weeks earlier than average.
The Adelaide Hills was long considered too cool to ripen Shiraz. By the early 2000s, though, the potential for outstanding Shiraz from the right sites in the Adelaide Hills was compelling, and the first Shaw + Smith Shiraz was made in the 2002 vintage. Since then, Shiraz in the Hills has gone from strength to strength, its hallmarks being fragrance, intensity, and medium bodied elegance. Winery Notes
Reviews
"The cool climate has given us this delightful 14.5%, deep purple, potpourri-scented shiraz.The front palate has vibrant plum flavour, the middle palate shows mulberry, spice, coffee cream chocolate and savoury oak and the finish minty tannins. Ideal for veal and olive ragu."
5 Stars - John Lewis, Northside Cronical (Canberra), November 2018
"Lovely purple/red colour, beautiful cool climate Shiraz aromatics with a smidge of pepper. On the palate it is so smooth, elegant, full of tight flavours with a gorgeous lingering finish. Awesome!"
Dan Traucki, Wine Assist, November 2018
"Deep, bold, bright colour, with a reserved bouquet of dark plum, black fruits, earth and graphite. the palate is full-bodied and dense, with substantial tannins that grip the finish and aftertaste. A trace of bitterness in the tannins. A highly-structured shiraz with lots of stuffing."
Huon Hooke, The Real Review, July 2018
"The warmth and balance of the vintage shows itself most in what Shaw calls a ‘structurally exciting’ shiraz. There’s plumpness on the nose and in the body, nicely rounded, not too fat. The flavour profile leans more to the purple end of the spectrum and there’s a dried fruit quality, like that little black bit on the top of a blueberry. Tannin is fine, nicely grained and the classic pepperiness of the variety sits untroubled on the tongue, almost as an afterthought. There’s a good gush of juicy acid from under the back of the tongue and the alcohol, a generous 14.5 per cent, hides so well it could compete for its country."
Morgan Dunn, The Australian, July 2018
