2023 Shaw & Smith M3 Chardonnay

Energetic and intense with bright acidity, layered citrus, and a touch of spicy ginger snap.

Founded in 1989 by winemaker Martin Shaw and Master of Wine Michael Hill Smith, Shaw + Smith owns 59 hectares of vineyards across Balhannah, Lenswood, and Piccadilly in the Adelaide Hills, specializing in Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Shiraz. The M3 Chardonnay is sourced from Piccadilly, Lobethal, and Lenswood at elevations of 455–500m. Despite a slow-ripening season due to high rainfall, careful viticulture yielded exceptional fruit. Hand-picked fruit is whole-bunch pressed and fermented in French oak barrels, undergoing primary and malolactic fermentation before nine months of maturation. The resulting wine is energetic and intense, with bright acidity and layered complexity, offering notes of lemon curd, grapefruit pith, and ginger snap.
Alc.12.5%

Other Reviews....
A mellow and understated chardonnay but with plenty of detail in spice, gentle savouriness and winemaking seasoning, cool acidity, a tightly wound fruit profile, general minerality and high drinkability. Overall, elegant and refined, sleek across the palate and quite compact with a light juiciness in tow. Nougat, lime curd, green apple and ginger in the bouquet, a similar set of descriptors to taste, with a lively trail of spice following on. High in the pleasure stakes, this continues to be an impressive Hills chardonnay. Drink 2024 - 2032.
94 Points
Mike Bennie - Halliday's Australian Wine Companion

Wonderfully constructed, showing polished aromas of lime curd, lemon balm, orange blossoms and gun smoke on the nose. The palate is medium-bodied with precise acidity and a generous mouthfeel, giving notes of fresh pineapple, white peaches, lime curd and shortbread. Drink or hold. Screw cap.
95 Points
JamesSuckling.com