2021 Shaw + Smith Balhannah Vineyard Shiraz

Highly Rated
Premium single-vineyard Shiraz from a cool site in the Adelaide Hills. An elegant, spicy expression of Shiraz.

Price:
Sale price$95.00
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Description

Planted in 2005, the Shaw + Smith Balhannah Vineyard is their prized piece of Shiraz turf.

This low-yielding site delivers their most elegant cool-climate expression of Shiraz. Winemaker Adam Wadewitz uses whole bunches to excellent effect, cranking up the herbal aromatics to 11 and finding excellent balance between tannin structure and sumptuous fruit throughout the winemaking process.

This is a beautiful wine, reminiscent of something out of the northern Rhone Valley. It will continue to evolve in the cellar for the next decade or more.

97 Points
"More of a syrah from an external perspective. An irrefutably brilliant one. I wish I had more to cellar, given the wine's noble stature. A ringer for refined Cornas, if not an oxymoron."
- Ned Goodwin MW (Jamessuckling.com)

95 Points
"The pitch here is as perfect as you’ll find... Tannin is grapey, fine-grained, smoky and expansive. It’s exemplary."
- Campbell Mattinson (The Wine Front)
96 Points
"An array of dried herb nuances includes oregano, sage, thyme and just a slight whiff of pepper. Gorgeous syrah-style shiraz."
- Huon Hooke (The Real Review)
95 Points
"There is a lot of wine here for the dollar and as per usual it shows off its pedigree with class and sophistication."
- Shanteh Wale, (The Wine Pilot)

The ninth release of this wine, and the vintage perfectly reflects the site. A complex nose laden with spice and red fruit, leads onto a poised, balanced palate. Graphite, sage, Kalamata olive brine, and satsuma plum, are some of the myriad of flavours on the palate, which is lively and medium bodied. Fruit, spice, fine grippy tannins, and acid all contribute on the long finish, a good indication of this wine’s great aging potential.

The growing season for the 2021 vintage was terrific, a joy after the traumas of 2020. Soaking winter rains gave us plenty of moisture in the soil, and that flowed into healthy crops. The summer was mild, slow ripening, with lots of flavour.

Aged for 14 months in 500 to 600 litre French oak barrels, 15% new, followed by a further 14 months in bottle.

Will reward careful cellaring from up to 20 years.

97 Points - "A scintillating nose of mace, clove, blue-fruit persuasions, lilac, pepper-dried salumi, fennel seed and kelp, akin to nori of the sort found at Tokyo's arsenal of exceptional sushi counters. On the slightly richer side of mid-weighted. Yet, the slippery skein of tannin is so immaculately placed that there is neither heat nor an ounce of sloppy, sweet fruit. Everything is compressed into a polished bone of tension and savory refinement. The acidity is saline and lathered with tapenade. More of a syrah from an external perspective. An irrefutably brilliant one. I wish I had more to cellar, given the wine's noble stature. A ringer for refined Cornas, if not an oxymoron." - Ned Goodwin MW (Jamessuckling.com)

95 Points - "Shiraz from a north-facing site at 380m at Balhannah in the Adelaide Hills.

The pitch here is as perfect as you’ll find. It’s glossy and smooth but there’s sinew and grain too; the fruit is sweet but the herbs are ardent. Twiggy spice, mescal, black pepper and peanut shells weave through blueberry and ripe plum. Tannin is grapey, fine-grained, smoky and expansive. It’s exemplary." - Campbell Mattinson (The Wine Front)

96 Points - "Sweetly vegetal/spicy/floral, whole-bunchy aromas greet the nose immediately—very classy cool-grown shiraz aromas which glide effortlessly into an elegantly structured but tremendously intense palate. An array of dried herb nuances includes oregano, sage, thyme and just a slight whiff of pepper. Gorgeous syrah-style shiraz." - Huon Hooke (The Real Review)

95 Points - "A sultry aroma of blackberry, Bing cherries and kombu seaweed. Crushed juniper, clove and allspice meet sandalwood, brown mushroom and pinecones. It’s full of forestry and undergrowth with specks of kalamata olive and hawthorn. Sweetness of spice shines through unpinning the black berried fruit and herbal nuances. Extremely compact and weighty. There is a lot of wine here for the dollar and as per usual it shows off its pedigree with class and sophistication. Tannins are suede like and acidity drives the flavours to the finish line which are way off in the distance. Drink now and will cellar for 5 years. A great wine for slow cooked beef tendon or oxtail." - Shanteh Wale, (The Wine Pilot)

Shaw + Smith

Shaw + Smith is one of the flagbearers of the Adelaide Hills wine region.

Founded by cousins Michael Hill Smith MW and Martin Shaw, together over 30+ years they have built a brilliant brand based around refined but energetic cool climate expressions of Shiraz, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

The wines all now comfortably rank amongst the best examples of their respective varieties in the country. The constant pursuit of excellence has seen Shaw + Smith stand out from the pack.

With the formidable talents of winemaker Adam Wadewitz at the helm, this iconic producer has never been in better form.

Michael Hill Smith MW and Martin Shaw - Adelaide Hills, SA Shaw + Smith

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