Winemaker Notes
A versatile and elegant wine, Shaw + Smith Shiraz is unforgettable when matched with well seasoned red meats cooked over an open fire.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A distinct evolution has happened around this wine with a more fragrant, spicy, lithe and lively style taking shape here. Smells of ripe red and dark cherries, cassis, blackberry and plum fruits abound with plenty of spice and gently toasty oak. There's a distinctive graphite-like edge, and whole bunches shine through. The palate has immense depth and flavorsome reach with very neatly articulated, even and fine tannins. The core has plum and blackberry flavor, with a long, juicy and fresh finish. A step in the more modern, upbeat and delicious direction for this wine.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Medium to deep garnet/purple, the 2013 Shiraz opens to expressive red and black cherry notes enveloped by nuances of black raspberries, pepper, star anise and violets. Medium-bodied, soft and satiny, the palate is fresh and pure with great concentration leading to an elegant, long finish.
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Wine & Spirits
This wine starts out with a gentle caress to its texture, but there’s a little reductive stink and some iron-hard tannins. It needs air to reveal its pretty, dark berry fruit, opening from darkness toward floral notes and touches of spice. In the end, it’s that textural fineness that makes the most lasting impression. Decant it for duck.
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.