2023 Shaw + Smith Balhannah Shiraz, Adelaide Hills

The Real Review’s #1 Adelaide Hills Shiraz from the 2023 vintage [ed. October 2026]

There's a charry, 'burn-out' (burnt rubber?) element that awakens the senses. With air, raspberries, kelp and dried rose petals emerge, making for an original and enticing nose. It's savoury and suave in its delivery, fruits and florals are tempered by earthy, smoky tones. The tannins are silty and inky, caging the core of fruit and tailing off the finish. This black-hearted syrah is dark and alluring, and time in the cellar will help marry its components, although it's a tempting delight in its youth. Drink to 2037.

96 points Gabrielle Poy for The Real Review, May 2026

Sourced from Block 2 at Shaw & Smith’s Balhannah Vineyard — close-planted at 5,500 vines/hectare and planted in 2005. The north-facing block sits over loam and clay with ironstone, quartzite and shale running through the subsoil. Hand-picked and hand-sorted. Aged for 14 months in 500–600-litre French oak barrels, 15% new, followed by a further 14 months in bottle. There’s a northern Rhône sensibility from the outset — savoury lashings of black olive in brine, black and pink peppercorn, cured meat and garrigue hovering over dark cherry and snapped twigs. There are flickers of smoky mezcal and menthol beneath, along with some whole-bunch-derived stemmy notes. Very alluring. On the palate there’s a burst of bunchy tones, black olive again, dried herbs, blackberry, smoked meat, dark cherry. The tannins are firm and assertive, putting a corset around the fruit, but they’re also ductile and long, drawing the savoury and fruit mix to excellent length. An exciting Shiraz — not shying away from savouriness and firm structure while still imbued with a sense of elegance and grace.

96 points Tom Kline for Wine Pilot, March 2026

The 2023 Balhannah Vineyard Shiraz leads with raspberry and cassis, blueberry and tapenade. The whole bunches (assuming there is some here) lend a spicy capaciousness to the wine that I find very attractive. The palate is firm and dry, with dusty tannins and light fruit weight, yet the structure is very appealing. This is a mineral wine, with blue fruits and an asphalt finish. Drink to 2030.

93 points Erin Larkin for The Wine Advocate, April 2026

Shaw + Smith was founded in 1989 by cousins Martin Shaw and Michael Hill-Smith MW, the latter Australia's first Master of Wine. Over three and a half decades they have built one of the Adelaide Hills' most trusted and consistent labels, with Balhannah Shiraz representing the pinnacle of their red wines.

From the wet and cool 2023 season that resulted in a record-late harvest for the Balhannah vineyard, the fruit for this wine was handpicked and sorted, with components maturing fourteen months in larger 500-600L French oak barrels of which 15% were new. The final blend from the chosen barrels was aged for a further fourteen months in bottles prior to release.