Shaw + Smith M3 Chardonnay 2020

  • 96 James
    Suckling
  • 94 Decanter
4.2 Very Good (19)
2022 Vintage In Stock
39 99
OFFER 10% off your order of $99+
Ships Tomorrow
You purchased this 3/8/24
1
Limit Reached
You purchased this 3/8/24
Alert me about new vintages and availability
Shaw + Smith M3 Chardonnay 2020  Front Bottle Shot
Shaw + Smith M3 Chardonnay 2020  Front Bottle Shot Shaw + Smith M3 Chardonnay 2020  Front Label

Product Details


Varietal

Region

Producer

Vintage
2020

Size
750ML

ABV
13.5%

Features
Green Wine

Screw Cap

Your Rating

0.0 Not For Me NaN/NaN/N

Somm Note

Winemaker Notes

Aiming for elegance, restraint and the ability to age, acid is bright and there’s generosity of flavor. Typically it shows white flowers, citrus, and nectarine notes.

This wine is superb alongside grilled Pacific Sea Bass with a caper butter sauce.

Professional Ratings

  • 96

    Ripe peach, lemon and plenty of toasted hazelnut oak, sitting on a mix of flint and wet stones. The palate has great density and depth with concentrated peach and lemon. A little pastry, too. Smooth, with bright acidity. Impressive depth and balance here. Drink or hold.

  • 94

    Savory notes take the lead in a striking tenor voice. Lacks the feistiness of previous vintages, but 2020 was hardly kind in the Hills. Clean, firm, proud and very well built, this is the elegant, talented diplomat that shows no emotion.

Other Vintages

2022
  • 93 Australian Wine
    Companion
  • 93 James
    Suckling
2021
  • 95 James
    Suckling
  • 95 Decanter
  • 94 Wine
    Enthusiast
2019
  • 96 James
    Suckling
2018
  • 96 James
    Suckling
2017
  • 96 James
    Suckling
2016
  • 94 James
    Suckling
  • 93 Robert
    Parker
2015
  • 94 James
    Suckling
  • 92 Wine
    Enthusiast
  • 91 Wine
    Spectator
  • 90 Wine &
    Spirits
2014
  • 95 James
    Suckling
  • 90 Robert
    Parker
2006
  • 90 Wine
    Spectator
2004
  • 93 Wine
    Spectator
  • 90 Wine &
    Spirits
Shaw + Smith

Shaw + Smith

View all products
Shaw + Smith, Australia
Shaw + Smith  Winery Image

Shaw + Smith was established in 1989 by the current owners, cousins Martin Shaw and Michael Hill Smith. Michael had just completed his Master of Wine in the UK, and Martin was running a “flying winemaker” business in Europe when they decided – somewhat on a whim – to make wine together. While a family business, Shaw + Smith is more about a partnership of two cousins with a unified vision and complimentary skills, now joined by a small team of bright talented wine people who are dedicated to taking the business forward. Shaw + Smith aims to make exciting, refined wines exclusively from the Adelaide Hills that rank amongst Australia’s best.

They specialize in varieties suited to the cooler climate region, namely Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Shiraz. Shaw + Smith owns two vineyards in the Adelaide Hills, at Balhannah and Lenswood, with a total of 136 acres (55 hectares) under vine. The Balhannah vineyard, which surrounds the winery, was planted in 2000 with Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, and Shiraz. The soil is free-draining sandy loam over red clay, with underlying quartzite and shale. The average altitude is 1,375 feet (420 meters). The Lenswood vineyard was planted in 1999 primarily with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, with a small amount of Sauvignon Blanc. The soil is brown loam over clay, as well as thinner topsoil areas on the ridges with broken shale and stone. The property is undulating with some very steep areas that provide east and west facing orientation and aspect. The property stands at 1,640 feet (500 meters) at its highest.

Growing outstanding grapes, working with the best growers, and using minimal intervention to make exciting wines with a strong sense of place is the core philosophy of Shaw + Smith. Stylistically, a slow evolution of the wines over time has occurred. Sauvignon Blanc winemaking has changed little, although the quality of fruit has improved significantly as the plantings have gone higher and cooler. Chardonnay continues to refine and evolve due to access to better vineyards, earlier picking to protect valuable acidity, whole bunch pressing, a preference for wild yeasts, less malolactic, and less battonage. Pinot Noir has improved as the vines have aged, and as they move to more whole-bunch and whole-berry in fermentations. The refinements for Shiraz are ongoing: better vineyards and a move to whole-bunch and whole-berry, along with less reliance on new oak.

Image for Chardonnay Wine content section
View all products

One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.

Image for Adelaide Hills Wine South Australia content section

Adelaide Hills Wine

South Australia

View all products

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.

HNYSASCYM20C_2020 Item# 777418

Internet Explorer is no longer supported.
Please use a different browser like Edge, Chrome or Firefox to enjoy all that Wine.com has to offer.

It's easy to make the switch.
Enjoy better browsing and increased security.

Yes, Update Now

Search for ""