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| The wines of Wignall were met with resounding success from the first release, inaugural vintages saw amazing results, attracting conspicuous gold medal and trophy victories. Fruit driven and voluptuous to drink, Wignall have refined the style of their Albany Pinot Noir to be bliss for the most discerning palates. Wignalls» |
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| A highly prolific wine industry trophy winner, including best single vineyard and best Shiraz at the hotly contested McLaren Vale Wine Show. A magnificent collation of old vines fruit from several pickings on the illustrious Rayner property, including a judicious measure of grapes as whole bunches, are treated to a wild indigenous yeast ferment and course of age in barrels of well seasoned French oak. Bondar» |
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| The top cut, off a mere four hectares Pinot Noir, eighteen different rootstock and clone, all picked by hand and separately fermented. Parcels are treated to minimalist vinification and the extravagance of a Vaslin Bucher basket press, followed by a year in the finest French oak barriques and three years cellaring before release. Pressing Matters» |
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| The marvelous S1 block is a sheltered, relatively warm site within the splendid vistas of Seaview Vineyard, on a north facing plateau at 160m above sea level, refreshed by maritime winds that blow in from the Cludy Bay coast. Fruit is crushed and destemmed, chilled and gently pressed, the clearest juices are racked off for a long, cool ferment to capture the full opulence of S1 vineyard grapes on the vine. Yealands Estate» |
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| Outstanding Langtons Classification. The locals around the Lovedale property say that the sandy soils are so poor, that even the rabbits have to bring a tucker box just to survive! The lean and mean terroir is elemental to the long lived, fine boned style. Mount Pleasant» |
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| A Coonawarra Shiraz of elegance and finesse, Penley's vintages are regularly awarded with prestigious international trophies and accolades, outclassing some of the nation's icon wines. A splendid effort exhibiting generous varietal fruit and spiced pepper, perfumes of good French oak and plenty of flavour. Penley Estate» |
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| The inaugural release of Hanging Rock Shiraz was vintage 1987 and what an event it was, immediately claiming gold and inspiring comparisons to Grange by the industry press. From from fruit grown to the estate Athols Paddock, a complex Heathcote style, more Syrah than Shiraz, boasting several trophies and over fifty gold to its distinguished history, big, powerful and rich, yet exhibiting an elegance and finesse that's rare in Australian wine. Hanging Rock» |
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| The term Terra rossa means red earth, a rich, free draining soil that is considered by many as the viticultural equivalent of discovering gold. Beneath the strata of red earth at Wrattonbully sits a layer of ancient limestone, a winegrower's dream as it allows free drainage of water, yet ensures vine roots stay close to the surface, putting natural stress on the vine and limiting its vigor and yield. Smith Hooper» |
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| One of the earliest commercial winemaking operations ever established in Victoria. Heathcote Winery can also boast some of the oldest Australian plantings of Viognier. Heathcote Winery» |
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| Excellent Langtons Classification. The legend continues for the stately Katnook of Coonawarra. Katnook» |
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| The highly opportune Pinot Noir vines at Bird In Hand are planted on the site of an ancient gold mine, a godsend of fortuitously fertile soils, magnificent growing conditions for stellar quality Adelaide Hill wines. Fermented in own bottle and aged five years on lees in true Méthode champenoise, the term of extended maturation imparts luxurious biscuit notes, chantilly crème and frais de bois. Bird In Hand» |
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| Enthused by a consuming desire to make great wine, Andrew Nugent honed his craft as viticulturalist and winemaker amongst the vines of McLaren Vale before returning to the Adelaide Hills, where he established his very own wineworks at Woodside. Hand crafted from fruit grown to mineral rich soils above the historic Bird in Hand gold mine, a pure Pinot Noir with superb effervescence, dominated by red berry characters, adorned by a lift of stonefruits and floral.. Bird In Hand» |
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About Shaw Smith - the Winery
Shaw Smith
Shaw + Smith began over a long lunch in 1989 when cousins Martin Shaw and Michael Hill Smith decided to realise a long held dream to make wine together
Shaw + Smith's aim is to make contemporary, high quality wines that stand amongst the best of their type, both nationally and internationally. For a wine to be released under the Shaw + Smith label it must be an oustanding example of it's type, from grapes grown in the Adelaide Hills. For the first ten years Shaw + Smith focussed on Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay, and now also make small quantities of Riesling, Pinot Noir and Shiraz. White varieties are well suited to the cooler climate of the Adelaide Hills, while Pinot Noir and Shiraz perform well in carefully chosen sites.
Martin Shaw is a winemaker with considerable international experience. He graduated from the Roseworthy College in 1981 and worked with Brian Croser at Petaluma for eight years prior to setting up the 'Flying Winemakers' network in France, Spain, Chile, Australia and New Zealand. In addition to Shaw + Smith, Martin still consults at number of companies within Australia and overseas. Aside from being a wine producer, Michael Hill Smith is a wine judge and consultant and contributes to various wine and food publications. In 1988, Hill Smith became the first Australian to pass the rigorous Master of Wine examination in London.
The Adelaide Hills is one of the most exciting wine regions. Although grapes were planted as early as 1839, it was not until the early 1980's that modern viticulture emerged. Today there are 54 Adelaide Hills wine labels with over 3000 ha of vineyard planted and more planned for the future. The region is strikingly beautiful with its patchwork of forests, farms, orchards and vineyards.
Because of it's distinctive cool climate, the grapes grown in the Hills have wonderful fruit composition, particularly in depth and spectrum of flavour, natural acid balance and overall finesse. Grape varieties best suited to the Adelaide Hills are Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Riesling, Merlot and Pinot Noir. Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz are more marginal, but perform well on certain sites with some experimentation with Viognier, Nebbiolo and Tempranillo.
In 1994 Shaw + Smith planted 28-ha of vines at Woodside in the Adelaide Hills. This vineyard is the home of Shaw and Smith's single vineyard M3 Chardonnay and consistently produces outstanding chardonnay fruit. The balance of the vineyard is planted to sauvignon blanc and is a vital component of the estate Sauvignon Blanc blend each year. The M3 Vineyard is close planted and uses vertical shoot positioning, the canopy configuration that has been so successful in the region. The soil is sandy loam over red-yellow clay with some shale.
In September 1999 Shaw + Smith purchased 46 ha on Jones Road between Balhannah and Hahndorf. The property is blessed with wonderful views of Mt Lofty, is ideally suited to viticulture and was planted to Sauvignon Blanc, Shiraz, Pinot Noir and Riesling. Average altitude 420 metres and all grapes are hand picked. The soil is free draining sandy loam over red clay with underlying quartzite and shale. As well as being home for the winery, the Balhannah property is the site of the single vineyard Riesling and Pinot Noir wines and contributes to the fruit sourced for the Sauvignon Blanc. Just behind the winery, on a prized northerly aspect, a parcel has recently been planted to Shiraz. The soil is sandy loam over red clay with underlying quartzite and shale.
A new winery was built for vintage 2000, which houses Shaw + Smith's production, marketing and administration. A new bottling line was installed in 2002, ensuring full control of every aspect of production, from grape berry to bottle. The winery design was a collaboration between Asbroek Engineering, JBG Architects and Christopher Connell Design. The winery has a wonderful contemporary feel throughout with tasting room and facilities.
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