Shaw + Smith Shiraz 2016
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Suckling
James - Decanter
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Spirits
Wine & -
Enthusiast
Wine
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Decant and enjoy with slow-cooked lamb shoulder.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
So beautiful and polished with extremely soft and tender tannins that give form to this ripe and enticing shiraz. Plums and wet earth, as well as dusty and grilled-meat undertones.
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Decanter
Lovers of Côte-Rôtie will find plenty to enjoy here: generous, complex and layered aromas and flavours that run the gamut of bacon fat, chocolate, mulberry, raspberry, black pepper and anise to lifted violets and even tropical mango tones. At once massive yet poised, with a silky textured palate, well-integrated oak and lovely acid balance.
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Wine & Spirits
Think intense and fragrant black-fruited pinot and you’ll be close to the vinous character of this shiraz. Shaw + Smith is the collaboration started in 1989 between cousins Michael Hill Smith, MW and Martin Shaw, now including 136 acres of vines in the cool reaches of the Adelaide Hills. Shaw combines whole berries and whole bunches in his open-top fermenters, aging the wine in French oak barrels, one-third new. The concentration of the fruit stands up to that oak, so you feel the power instead in the sensation of grape-skin tannins, firm, juicy and fragrant themselves. If you tend to prefer Old World wines, consider this New World red for its elegance. And if you love great Aussie shiraz, don’t miss it.
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Wine Enthusiast
From the relatively cool climes of Adelaide Hills, this polished, perfumed Shiraz is a heady combo of dried rose petals, red and black berries, cedar shavings and a myriad dried herbs and spices. There’s a good lick of oak influence here, too. The palate shows a touch of heat from the alcohol, but overall it’s medium in weight and made with restraint. There’s a lovely, silky texture to the fruit and a savory nuance on the finish.
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2019- Decanter
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Shaw + Smith was established in 1989 by the current owners, cousins Martin Shaw and Michael Hill Smith. Michael had just completed his Master of Wine in the UK, and Martin was running a “flying winemaker” business in Europe when they decided – somewhat on a whim – to make wine together. While a family business, Shaw + Smith is more about a partnership of two cousins with a unified vision and complimentary skills, now joined by a small team of bright talented wine people who are dedicated to taking the business forward. Shaw + Smith aims to make exciting, refined wines exclusively from the Adelaide Hills that rank amongst Australia’s best.
They specialize in varieties suited to the cooler climate region, namely Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Shiraz. Shaw + Smith owns two vineyards in the Adelaide Hills, at Balhannah and Lenswood, with a total of 136 acres (55 hectares) under vine. The Balhannah vineyard, which surrounds the winery, was planted in 2000 with Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, and Shiraz. The soil is free-draining sandy loam over red clay, with underlying quartzite and shale. The average altitude is 1,375 feet (420 meters). The Lenswood vineyard was planted in 1999 primarily with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, with a small amount of Sauvignon Blanc. The soil is brown loam over clay, as well as thinner topsoil areas on the ridges with broken shale and stone. The property is undulating with some very steep areas that provide east and west facing orientation and aspect. The property stands at 1,640 feet (500 meters) at its highest.
Growing outstanding grapes, working with the best growers, and using minimal intervention to make exciting wines with a strong sense of place is the core philosophy of Shaw + Smith. Stylistically, a slow evolution of the wines over time has occurred. Sauvignon Blanc winemaking has changed little, although the quality of fruit has improved significantly as the plantings have gone higher and cooler. Chardonnay continues to refine and evolve due to access to better vineyards, earlier picking to protect valuable acidity, whole bunch pressing, a preference for wild yeasts, less malolactic, and less battonage. Pinot Noir has improved as the vines have aged, and as they move to more whole-bunch and whole-berry in fermentations. The refinements for Shiraz are ongoing: better vineyards and a move to whole-bunch and whole-berry, along with less reliance on new oak.
Marked by an unmistakable deep purple hue and savory aromatics, Syrah makes an intense, powerful and often age-worthy red. Native to the Northern Rhône, Syrah achieves its maximum potential in the steep village of Hermitage and plays an important component in the Red Rhône Blends of the south, adding color and structure to Grenache and Mourvèdre. Syrah is the most widely planted grape of Australia and is important in California and Washington. Sommelier Secret—Such a synergy these three create together, the Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre trio often takes on the shorthand term, “GSM.”
A narrow band of hills and valleys east of the city of Adelaide, the Adelaide Hills region is a diverse landscape featuring a variety of microclimates. In general it is moderate with high-altitude areas cooler and wetter compared to its warmer, lower areas.
Piccadilly Valley, the part of Adelaide Hills closest to the city, was first staked out by a grower named Brian Croser, in the 1970s for a cool spot to grow Chardonnay, then uncommon in Australia. Today a good amount of the Chardonnay goes to winemakers outside of the region.
Producers here experiment with other cool-climate loving aromatic varieties like Pinot Gris, Viognier and Riesling. Charming sparkling wine is also possible. On its north side, lower, west-facing slopes make full-bodied Shiraz.