Shaw & Smith M3 Chardonnay 2017 (Australia)

Description

• French oak
• White florals
• Nectarine
• Lemon blossom

Aiming for elegance, restraint and the ability to age, acid is bright and there’s generosity of flavour. Typically it shows white flowers, citrus, and nectarine notes. Low yields, long ripening and very cool weather made 2017 a standout year for Chardonnay. This vintage has great presence, showing white flowers and lemon blossom. Drinking wel now until 2027.

Shaw + Smith own two vineyards in the Adelaide Hills, at Balhannah and Lenswood, totalling 55 hectares. The vineyards are planted to varieties that perform particularly well in the region, namely Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Shiraz. Predominantly from the Lenswood Vineyard, at 455–500 metres elevation. Undulating with east and west facing aspects, the soils are brown loams over clay with broken shale on the ridges. The vineyard was planted in 1999.

There was record rainfall throughout the growing season but importantly it reduced to average in November during flowering and was dry during March, the later part of ripening. Record low temperatures were also recorded resulting in a late, very cool vintage. Flavours are intense and the natural acidity is striking.

Hand picked and whole bunch pressed. Fermented and matured on lees in French oak barriques and puncheons.

The Shaw+ Smith winery was built in 2000 giving us the ability to whole-bunch press chilled grapes for the first time, and underpinning the evolution of style from that first M3 Chardonnay vintage in 2000 through to the present day. The most significant event since then came in 2012 with the purchase of the Lenswood Vineyard.