Adelaide Hills 13.5% Screwcap $38
Please excuse a rash of Chardonnay reviews on this site…or feel free to revel in them. With World Chardonnay day having just passed I have quite a number to cover. I think I’ll stick to the good ones and try to stagger the notes.
My first exposure to what has become a bit of an Australian icon came in the form of the 2004 Shaw + Smith M3 release – a beautiful wine, no doubt still drinking well now (although all of my bottles have been consumed). At the time it was at the forefront of the Modern Australian interpretation of the grape – an interpretation which has paved the way for a Chardonnay renaissance but which has also, in my opinion, gone a little bit too far of late.
Fortunately this wine has always avoided the pitfalls that now beset many of those trying to latch onto the bandwagon…a boring neutrality and minimalism for which the variety is ill-suited.
Understated yellow peach, apple and nectarine with lightly buttered toast, lemon and spice on the finish. Some enticing mealy qualities, a general nuttiness and lovely acid/mineral structure contribute to the overall appeal. To be overly critical, it currently lacks a certain X-factor but that may well come with bottle age…and this will do 5-7 years in a canter.
Winery website- http://www.shawandsmith.com/