"So much flavour packed into this chardonnay, but never loses focus or detail. Pristine and perfectly ripe fruit, a mix of stone fruit and citrus folded into creamy lees, and ginger notes with a liberal seasoning of integrated French oak spice. A fuller-bodied palate, texture and complexity with ultra-refreshing acidity. No point waiting." James Halliday, Wine Companion 2019

"Light to mid-yellow colour with savoury nutty, straw and toast aromas. A trace of malt. The wine is delicate, light to medium-bodied and not especially concentrated, but has attractive flavour and style, finishing clean and dry with a pleasingly savoury aftertaste. Cleansing acidity keeps the finish fresh" Huon Hooke, The Real Review, May 2018

"Despite the warm year, this chardonnay has impressive reserve, with the hard-to-achieve mix of elegance and intensity. It is youthful and primary right now, with room to grow over time. A complex wine with bright, lemony fruit. the winemaking stamp is sophisticated yet subtle" Toni Patterson, Real Review, August 2018

"Richer vintage for the classic Shaw + Smith M3 style but it doesn’t lose shape. Lemon butter and apple juice meets toasty oak, the finish still shaped by grapefruit but it’s softer than in some years. More approachable early and very likeable, it’s a carefully made Hills Chardonnay from a warm year. You can be on my dinner table anytime M3" Andrew Graham, Australian Wine Review, October 2018

Stone fruit and citrus ntoe dominate the nose, and continue onto the palate. The palate shows restraint and subtlety, with flavours of lemon zest and grapefruit, with a biscuity note. There is also intensity and weight to the palate, held in chec by a seam of crisp acid that keeps it fresh and tight.

M3 is at the foreront of the ongoing refinement and evolution of Australian Chardonnay. Aiming for exccellence, restrain, and the capacity to age in bottle. The Adelaide Hills produces some on Australia's finest Chardonnay. Since its first release (vintage 2000) M3 has quickly established a reputation amoung Australia's finest. Sourced principally from the Shaw+Smith vineyards at Woodside and Lenswood. Low yeilds achieved by agressive pruning and pre harvest bunch thinning. Hand picked to avoid fruit damage. 

2016 was a fine growing season, with some warm days balances by consistently cool nighs. It was a relatively dry season, and grapes ripened a touch earlier than usual. The weather leading up to harvest was mostly dry, ensuring perfectly healthy fruit.

Whole bunches or grapes were chilled overnight prior to pressing. Barrel fermentation and partial malolactic fermentation (30%) add complexity and mouth-feel. Nine months in barrique, with some lees stirring to build complexity. Special care is taken not to over oak the wine, maintaining fruit integrity. Now until 2021.