2022 MMAD Vineyard Blewitt Springs Shiraz, McLaren Vale

2023 McLaren Vale Wine Show: Best Small Producer, Best Single Vineyard Viticulturist

This is a seriously impressive release, showcasing winemaker Adam Wadewitz’s learnings from the first vintage and the bounty of full viticultural control. The old-vine fruit could easily handle about one-third whole bunch, a Wadewitz favourite. And that impact is profoundly positive, weaving in spicy, smoky notes and complexing tannins to provide exceptional tension without greenness. Red and blue fruits, violet and dusky red florals, coal dust, anise, cacao and roasted coffee bean. Intensity on the palate at moderate alcohol and no heavy mid-palate sweetness nor new oak. Rather, it is poised throughout, with fruit intensity seamlessly meshed into a silky, supple but aptly assertive structure, a ferrous nori/kelp mineral note underpinning. For a site purchased prizing grenache, this is a revelation.

97 points (Special Value) Marcus Ellis for Halliday Wine Companion, February 2024

Very complex Rhône-ish meaty/spicy bouquet of formidable charm and detail. Theres a nicely judged touch of reduction in there, and the wine is fleshy and sumptuous on the palate, smooth textured and glossy, with a lingering aftertaste packed with supple, polished tannins that are in effortless support. An outstanding shiraz. The tannins are formidable and sneaky—they will ensure a long aging career. A stonking McLaren Vale regional shiraz. Drink to 2044.

97 points Huon Hooke for The Real Review, February 2024

A core of Bing cherries, Davidson plum and Kirsch. Olive tapenade, rosemary twigs and blistered eggplant skin. Cold press coffee spice lies with a gin salt salinity. It is perilous in its slip and slide down the palate with fine grained tannins and hints of graphite and black rock. A touch of dried herbal notes with bayleaf and bouquet garni remnants. It’s refined and all tucked in with every wisp of hair in place but without being a goody two shoes about it. Hard to place this wine if served blind folded, its perfumed and dark fruited, agile and plush. Its Blewitt Springs is what it is! Marvellous wine that would be pretty savvy with an array of Argentinean Asado meats.

96 points Shanteh Wale for Wine Pilot, November 2024

Vivid aromas of crushed blackberries, cloves, iodine and dried kelp, lifted by a potpourri of purple flowers. Dense, compact and detailed, with tannic precision. This is a full-bodied wine, yet it is the intricacy of the structure that draw me back to the glass. Long, beautiful and destined for excellent drinking across the mid-term. Drink or hold.

95 points James Suckling, February 2024

The 2022 Shiraz leads with a meaty nose, but it is aromatic though, in much the same way as Peking duck leads with blood orange, star anise and peppercorns. Here, the wine is all wilted roses and roasted meat, iodine, dark chocolate and coffee grounds. In the mouth, the wine is supple and intense, laden with graphite and earth. It is a distinct wine, with star anise and gravy, seashells and kelp. I like it, but it came as a surprise! I do recall seeing some pastrami in last year's release, so perhaps this is quite fitting. Drink to 2032.

93 points Erin Larkin for The Wine Advocate, September 2024

MMAD Vineyard Blewitt Springs Shiraz from McLaren Vale is a deeply expressive and refined take on old vine Shiraz from one of the most revered pockets in the region. The vineyard itself was planted in 1941 in the deep sandy soils of Blewitt Springs, where altitude, coastal breezes and ancient geology combine to produce wines of remarkable fragrance, finesse and structure.

MMAD stands for Martin Shaw, Michael Hill Smith, Adam Wadewitz and David LeMire, the dream team behind Shaw + Smith and Tolpuddle. This project is all about showcasing exceptional single vineyards, and in this case, the focus is on the character of Blewitt Springs’ sandy soils and mature vines.

The winemaking is handled by Adam Wadewitz, who brings a light touch to the powerful fruit. The grapes are hand harvested, wild fermented with some whole bunches, and matured in large format French oak to preserve purity and site expression. The result is a Shiraz that’s as much about energy and detail as it is about richness.

On the nose, it’s vibrant and aromatic, with layers of black cherry, blood plum, pink peppercorn, dried herbs and a whisper of lavender. The palate follows with medium-bodied weight and real precision, framed by fine tannins and fresh acidity. There’s savoury depth and gentle grip, but also lift and brightness that speak clearly of Blewitt Springs.

This is a Syrah-style Shiraz, made for those who prefer elegance over density. It pairs beautifully with chargrilled lamb cutlets, roast beetroot with goats cheese, or slow-roasted duck with five-spice. With a few years in the cellar, it will evolve further complexity and earthy nuance.