2018 Shaw + Smith Shiraz, Adelaide Hills

From the home vineyard at Shaw + Smith's Balhannah winery and cellar door, there's a stunningly attractive ripeness to this wine, dark blue and purple fruit notes with kitchen herbal tweaks adding a heightened gastronomic appeal – dark mint, fennel and rocket pepperiness. Delicious medium-bodied structurals and fine tannins provide an equally sophisticated mouthfeel and finish. Superb wine.

96 points Tony Love winecompanion.com.au

Fantastic release. Stunning length, a wide array of flavours, top tier tannin and the (velvety) texture to match. Cloves, nuts, cherry-plum. graphite, woodsmoke. Cool climate profile with a warmth in its heart. I drank a couple of glasses but I was convinced from the first sip. My only real question was whether it was 95 or 96.

95 points Campbell Mattinson winefront.com.au August 2020

Very attractive blueberries and dark plums here with earthy and spicy aromas, as well as black pepper. The palate is filled with fleshy fruit and has dark-cherry, cherry-liqueur and dark-chocolate flavors in abundance. Long flavors, plush smooth tannins and certainly a richer iteration of this wine. Drink or hold.

95 points Nick Stock jamessuckling.com 2020

Cousins Martin Shaw and Michael Hill Smith MW already had unbeatable experience when they founded Shaw + Smith as a virtual winery in 1989. In '99 Martin and Michael purchased the 36ha Balhannah property, building the superbly designed winery in 2000 and planting more sauvignon blanc, shiraz, pinot noir and riesling. It is here that visitors can taste the wines in appropriately beautiful surroundings. Exports to all major markets.