2023 Shaw + Smith Pinot Noir Half Bottle 375ml, Adelaide Hills

Half Bottle 375ml

Shaw + Smith was established in 1989 by cousins Michael Hill Smith MW and Martin Shaw. They make wines exclusively from the Adelaide Hills, from varieties that suit the cooler climate: Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Shiraz. Shaw + Smith own two vineyards, in Lenswood and Balhannah. Growing the best possible grapes, managing vineyards sustainably, and valuing vine health, soil health, and low yields are central to the Shaw + Smith approach. In the pursuit of quality, all grapes continue to be hand-picked, and the wines are fermented, aged and bottled on site at Balhannah. The wines are vibrant, medium bodied expressions of their varieties that reflect their sites and region.

Shaw + Smith’s first vintage was in 1990, and the early vintages were made at Wirra Wirra and Petaluma. In 1999 they purchased a property at Balhannah, where they planted vines, and built the winery and tasting room in time for the 2000 vintage. In 2012 they purchased an established 20 hectare vineyard in Lenswood.

It's got bold perfume, hallmark cherry and cranberry fruit characters, a sketch of dried herbs, black pepper, charry spices and some new leather characters. While pinot descriptors roll off the tongue, per se, there's also a darker, more brooding note in the wine, a teetering into dry red territory over more pure and flowing pinosity – a niggle for some seeking gloss and silkiness over a more guttural, firm experience. And in that, a stake in the ground has to be made.

90 points MB winecompanion.com.au