Paul Lippolito - November 2020
Superb, but unsuprisingly so. Shaw + Smith do really really good things with Chardonnay and have done so for a very long time. This is way up there in the best Australian Chardonnay stakes and deservedly so. Class and elegance from the start to finish. Refined from the first pour to the last taste in the mouth. A lovely pale greenish yellow straw. Tight unwinding white marble, nectarine, lemon citrus off the aromas. Not upfront but quite slow and evolving. Classy, edgy and yet making its point as a excellent Chardonnay. Complex and layered it is intricate in the way it presents itself. Good fresh crisp acidity supporting the fruit, poised and in check. The oak is providing vanilla characters again balanced and in check. It drinks beautifully with citrus and stonefruits emerging and in a lineal long lingering fashion. Lovely wine in every sense at under $50 it is also value plus. Try it with a fresh seafood platter. 96 Points.
Tony Love, Halliday Wine Companion - October 2020
The clear expression of on-point ripe peach and nectarine fruits is this wine's calling car. A delicate little wrap of oak add spice of ginger-nut biscuit with the swell of an appealing creaminess; subtle acidity holds it in balance all the way. Fruit, oak, spice and tang - the whole varietal experience. 95 Points.
Vinonotebook - October 2020
Pale straw lemon colour. Struck match, creamy vanilla hint, brioche/bread crust round-ness offset with white nectarine, grapefruit, rich lemon focus and white florals. Medium weighted, definite up front generosity of flavour while drawing tight and retaining intensity through the middle and back palate. Subtle grip and long drive. 94 Points.
Campbell Mattinson – September 2020
Brilliant release. Great intensity both to the palate and the finish and with plenty going on besides. Flint, smoke, grapefruit and stone fruit characters but it’s the emphatic energy of the finish that really sets it apart. One sip and I was hooked, convinced, and in its thrall. 96 points.
David Sly - Decanter - August 2020
The nose presents a strong and compelling argument: firm white peach, pretty lemon blossom, a whiff of charred oak and a puff of graphite lurking beneath struck flint. Strikingly reminiscent of Penfolds' Bin Reserve Bin A, it helps define a new high-watermark for Adelaide Hills Chardonnay. With a slender, nimble palate that is deceptively long, its clean persistent flavours and subtle complexity leaves you contemplative long after the glass is empty. 96 points.
Jamessuckling.com - July 2020
This is a very concentrated, complex and refined chardonnay that locks in on very intense white peaches, lemons and grapefruit, framed in a wealth of fresh, spicy, young French oak, as well as flinty elements. The palate has mouthwateringly fresh acidity, powering fresh lemon and peach flavors into a long, tautly wound finish. Drink or hold. 96 points.
Paul Lippolito - November 2020
Superb, but unsuprisingly so. Shaw + Smith do really really good things with Chardonnay and have done so for a very long time. This is way up there in the best Australian Chardonnay stakes and deservedly so. Class and elegance from the start to finish. Refined from the first pour to the last taste in the mouth. A lovely pale greenish yellow straw. Tight unwinding white marble, nectarine, lemon citrus off the aromas. Not upfront but quite slow and evolving. Classy, edgy and yet making its point as a excellent Chardonnay. Complex and layered it is intricate in the way it presents itself. Good fresh crisp acidity supporting the fruit, poised and in check. The oak is providing vanilla characters again balanced and in check. It drinks beautifully with citrus and stonefruits emerging and in a lineal long lingering fashion. Lovely wine in every sense at under $50 it is also value plus. Try it with a fresh seafood platter. 96 Points.
Tony Love, Halliday Wine Companion - October 2020
The clear expression of on-point ripe peach and nectarine fruits is this wine's calling car. A delicate little wrap of oak add spice of ginger-nut biscuit with the swell of an appealing creaminess; subtle acidity holds it in balance all the way. Fruit, oak, spice and tang - the whole varietal experience. 95 Points.
Vinonotebook - October 2020
Pale straw lemon colour. Struck match, creamy vanilla hint, brioche/bread crust round-ness offset with white nectarine, grapefruit, rich lemon focus and white florals. Medium weighted, definite up front generosity of flavour while drawing tight and retaining intensity through the middle and back palate. Subtle grip and long drive. 94 Points.
Campbell Mattinson – September 2020
Brilliant release. Great intensity both to the palate and the finish and with plenty going on besides. Flint, smoke, grapefruit and stone fruit characters but it’s the emphatic energy of the finish that really sets it apart. One sip and I was hooked, convinced, and in its thrall. 96 points.
David Sly - Decanter - August 2020
The nose presents a strong and compelling argument: firm white peach, pretty lemon blossom, a whiff of charred oak and a puff of graphite lurking beneath struck flint. Strikingly reminiscent of Penfolds' Bin Reserve Bin A, it helps define a new high-watermark for Adelaide Hills Chardonnay. With a slender, nimble palate that is deceptively long, its clean persistent flavours and subtle complexity leaves you contemplative long after the glass is empty. 96 points.
Jamessuckling.com - July 2020
This is a very concentrated, complex and refined chardonnay that locks in on very intense white peaches, lemons and grapefruit, framed in a wealth of fresh, spicy, young French oak, as well as flinty elements. The palate has mouthwateringly fresh acidity, powering fresh lemon and peach flavors into a long, tautly wound finish. Drink or hold. 96 points.
