Winemaker Notes
Shaw + Smith Shiraz is a medium bodied cool-climate Shiraz, in which balance is more important than power. This wine shows vibrant fruit, spice and texture.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A fresh and deliciously spicy nose showing brambleberries, blackcurrants, dark cherries and dark plums, as well as hints of black peppers, slate, iodine and citrus. Full-bodied with wonderfully structured tannins, seemingly unstoppable acidity and a long, chewy finish, which remains taut and mineral.
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Tasting Panel
Deep ruby color lush and bright with finesse, spice and depth rich and elegant a complete package gorgeous and complex.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2015 Shiraz is meaty and concentrated and leads with roast beef crust, roast beetroot, cocoa nib, licorice and star anise. Tasted alongside the Balhannah single-vineyard wine (vertical of vintages 2013 - 2020), this is possessed of a similar spectrum of characteristics. It is structurally fine but firm, with pluming tannins and dusty purple fruit. 14.5% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.
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.