2008 Pinot Noir reviews
Amy Wislocki
Managing Editor, Decanter.com
I didn't even know that Shaw + Smith made a Pinot Noir before this lunch to celebrate their 20th vintage. The first cousins Martin Shaw and Michael Hill-Smith MW are perhaps best known for their Sauvignon Blanc. The wines at this lunch also included three vintages of the Shiraz, a wine which proves the Adelaide Hills can produce lovely, textured, modern Shiraz with no green, unripe characters; and four vintages of the M3 Chardonnay, which has moved away from Californian and towards Dijon clones, with a increasing amount of wild ferment. 'We've become more experimental and less rigid in our winemaking in recent years,' said Hill-Smith. The second vintage of its Pinot Noir demonstrated this. Produced in near-perfect conditions, the 2008 is a 'step up from the pretty wine we made in 2007,' Hill-Smith commented. I agree – deliciously aromatic with layers of complexity and a weighty mouthfeel, it succeeds in combining the opulence of Central Otago with the structure of Burgundy.
Australian Wine Companion 2011
James Halliday
93 Points
Dark, savoury and backward bouquet, showing toasty oak with the fruit in the background; the palate reveals an abundance of pure red fruit, with a strong personality of ferrous minerality, and almost crunchy acidity; quite possibly the finest pinot to come from this wonderfully consistent producer. Screwcap.
The Wine Advocate #192, December 2010
Lisa Perrotti-Brown
The Pinot Noir vineyard was planted in 2000 to the MV6 clone (mother vine 6) and Dijon 777. The 2008 Pinot Noir gives a pale medium-ruby colour and subdued red cherry aromas with some warm raspberry, underbrush and lavender. Medium-bodied with crisp acidity and a low to medium level of fine tannins, it gives a long warm berry finish. Drink it now through 2013
Canberra Times 7th August 2010
Fergus McGhie
Martin Shaw and Michael Hill Smith are perfectionists. A visit to their stunning cellar door and winery in the Adelaide Hills will confirm this. The two are cousins and they never do anything by halves. Twenty-one years ago they began making what has become Australia’s best sauvignon blanc. The next project was their M3 chardonnay, easily among the best in the country. Then on to cool-climate shiraz, with the tiniest touch of viognier. Again, it’s one of the best examples in the country. Now it’s the turn of pinot, renowned for being tough to grow and make, but well suited to their home in the Adelaide Hills. This 2008 is their second release to the public and it’s available in Canberra. By Shaw and Hill Smith’s high standards, it’s probably not there yet, but it is a fantastic, beautifully balanced pinot. There are classic cherry and dark-berry fruits, a touch of whole-bunch character and some more complex savoury elements too. If you drink it now, you’ll find it still bursting with youthful primary fruit, but I think it’s one to keep a while as it will improve with a couple more years in the bottle.
The Penguin Good Australian Wine Guide 2010
Nick Stock
92 Points
This is a cryptic and complex young Adelaide Hills pinot with a tightly structured yet silken palate – the classic iron fist in a velvet glove. Bright mid-red colour, plenty of red cherry fruit, some Earl Grey tea and gentle bergamot too, complex and pristine. Red cherry/berry flavours run the length of the palate, some darker fruits build through the back and bright acidity holds it right on the line, lifting skywards through the finish.
Wine 100 March 2010
Nick Stock
92 points
This was quite cryptic and shy when tasted six months ago but it’s settling in nicely. Ripe dark brambly cherry fruit aromas, bergamot and fine background spices on the nose. The palate has a silken side and is stacked with red and black fruit flavour, the acid snaps crunchy through the finish.
The Wine Front 16th May 2010
Campbell Mattinson
90+ points
They’ve been playing around with pinot noir at Shaw and Smith since 2000, but this is the first release to go out into the big wide world – until now it’s been a cellar door only release.
Punchy pinot. Excellent, velvety texture and lots of ripe fruit, with muscular tannin pulling it through the finish. Flavours of plums, cherries, (various) spices and twigs. Creamy, clovey characters from oak. Quite a bit of tangy acid. Needs time for the various components to integrate properly, but it’s a decent quality.
Illawarra Mercury 19th May 2010
Kerry Skinner
Cousins Michael Hill Smith and Martin Shaw planted their first pinot vines in the Adelaide Hills a decade ago but this is their first non-cellar door release. It’s been well worth waiting for because it’s an absolute corker, stylishly made with loads of finesse, aromatic cherry and strawberry fruit on the nose and palate, spice and earthy characters, lovely oak and silky smooth tannins. Drink it with quail.