Shaw & Smith M3 Vineyard Chardonnay 2018

The Shaw & Smith M3 Vineyard Chardonnay is a regional benchmark Adelaide Hills chardonnay from the very talented duo of Martin Shaw and Michael Hill Smith. Sleek, mid-weighted and highly contemporary, this modern Australian exemplar has amassed a huge following amongst chardonnay lovers. 

"A beautifully poised wine, balance and elegance inevitably part of the equation. There is a purity to the drive of the fruit that makes recitation of what are usual stages of vinification unnecessary. It's the quality of the fruit, the attention to detail and the cumulated decades of experience that make this wine so special."  James Halliday

The 2018 vintage was sourced from the Lenswood, Piccadilly and Lobethal vineyards. The fruit is hand-picked and whole-bunch pressed, fermented and matured on lees in French barriques and puncheons.

"Aiming for elegance, restraint and the ability to age, acid is bright and there’s generosity of flavour. Typically it shows white flowers, citrus, and nectarine notes. The 2018 vintage was defined by moderate yields and cool temperatures leading up to harvest. This has produced an M3 of opulence, balance and concentration. Drink: Now to 2028."  Shaw & Smith

Expert reviews

"A beautifully poised wine, balance and elegance inevitably part of the equation. There is a purity to the drive of the fruit that makes recitation of what are usual stages of vinification unnecessary. It's the quality of the fruit, the attention to detail and the cumulated decades of experience that make this wine so special. Drink by 2033."  James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion - 98 points and Special Value Wine  ★ 

"The 2018 M3 chardonnay is a clever wine that will impress the most discerning chardonnay palates, as well as delivering endless drinking pleasure all round. Aromas of white peaches, grilled hazelnuts, lemons, praline and gun flint give way to a palate that has a big mouthful of peaches and citrus fruit. This is big on flavor and refreshment. Drink over the next six years. Screw cap."  James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com - 96 points

"Shaw + Smith M3 Chardonnay is a wine of note. It's a wine with a view, as in we all have one of them. It's come a long way over the years. I like my flint and funk but when I first opened this it was alarming. It was a matchbox factory. Some chardonnays need a decant and a wait. Give this time and it shows both power and poise, its grapefruit, custard apple and stone fruit flavours woven expertly with cedar, oatmeal, almond milk and matches. It has a quartz-like aspect, a bristle to its brilliance. It's narrow but it's not lean; there's more than enough power to its fruit. It should drink quite sensationally, from appropriate glassware, in another 2-4 years. Drink 2021-2027."  Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front - 96 points

"What I like about the M3 – and all the Shaw + Smith wines – is the sense of precision. A wine of cool professionalism, without sacrificing approachability. A welcome tip-toe balance between ripe-enough white peach fruit, sculpted by oak and subtle winemaking touches, and the support brace of acidity to bring everything together with sparkling freshness.

What’s equally remarkable is that S + S achieved all this in a vintage that you’d not call easy. I’m even putting it out there that this '18 vintage tops the (superb) '17, in contrast to the prevailing vintage norms. The only quibble, hard to find, is whether it is too delicate, too lean. Still, masterfully crafted, precise modern Chardonnay with flavour AND acidity? I’m in. We’re in. Best drinking: now to eight years."  Andrew Graham, Australian Wine Review - 95 points

"It is hard to believe it’s been over six years since Adam Wadewitz joined Shaw & Smith. He’s quietly spoken but self assured – exactly the kind of winemaker that you want to run the show at one of the country’s top wineries, based in the Adelaide Hills. Adam is a winemaker who appreciates all the detail required to make great wines. He gets it, and does not feel the need to put his own personal stamp all over them. He just lets the fruit do the talking and helps it along with smart winemaking. Since Adam has been at Shaw & Smith the wines have definitely taken a turn towards the elegant end of the spectrum with less oak barrel influence, as can be seen in this new release of M3 Chardonnay

It’s powerful but not bold and even exotic – pineapple, citrus fruits with a touch of kaffir lime and white flowers. A bit unusual but in a good way and then it is also juicy, crisp and refreshing. It’s delicious now but there is also loads of underlying complexity that slowly emerges over a long lunch. Superb. Drink: 2020-2028."  Angus Hughson, Wine Pilot - 94 points

Awards

Special Value Wine – Halliday Wine Companion  ★

About the winery

 Martin Shaw and Michael Hill Smith 

Shaw & Smith began over a long lunch in 1989 when cousins Martin Shaw and Michael Hill Smith decided to realise a long held dream to make wine together. Today they own three vineyards in the Adelaide Hills; at Balhannah, Lenswood and Piccadilly, totalling 59 hectares. The vineyards are planted to varieties that perform particularly well in the region, namely Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Shiraz.

Shaw & Smiths' first vintage was in 1990 and in 1999 they purchased a property at Balhannah, where they planted vines and built a winery and tasting room in time for the 2000 vintage. The 35 hectare Balhannah vineyard is planted predominantly to Sauvignon Blanc and close-planted Shiraz on property surrounding the winery at 340 - 380m elevation. The soil is free draining sandy loam over red clay with underlying quartzite and shale, with varying amounts of ironstone pebbles.

In 2012, the pair purchased an existing vineyard in the cooler zone of Lenswood, about 10km north west of the winery. The 20 hectare vineyard is at an elevation of 455 – 500m and was planted in 1999. Undulating with east and west facing aspects, the vineyard is planted mainly to Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The soils are brown loams over clay with broken shale on the ridges.

In 2019 Shaw & Smith celebrated its 30th anniversary with the purchase of a cool-climate vineyard site in Piccadilly Valley just below the Mt Lofty summit. The land is in the highest, coldest and wettest part of the Adelaide Hills at an altitude of 550 metres. The 4 hectare site has been planted to chardonnay and pinot noir, with vines closely spaced at 11,000 vines per hectare, a density that’s considered the maximum in places like Burgundy and Champagne.

Site selection is particularly important in the Adelaide Hills, with its diversity of altitude, aspect, microclimate, and soil. They also use a number of different clones of each grape variety, which contribute different qualities to the final product.