Shaw & Smith 'M3' Chardonnay 2024

The Shaw + Smith winery was built in 2000 giving them 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. Chardonnay was originally planted in Lenswood for sparkling wine production but it now fulfils its potential for fine still wine, with finesse, flavour, and great natural acidity.

The Adelaide Hills has a reputation for high quality, but also has lots of diversity. The majority of fruit for this wine was sourced from our Lenswood, Piccadilly and Lobethal vineyards, grown on loams over clay
and quartz, and complemented with fruit from a handful of trusted growers.

Hand-picked grapes are whole bunch pressed, then gently squeezed to the finest French oak barrels for fermentation. Here they spend 9 months, undergoing primary and secondary (malolactic) fermentation. Batches are then blended in stainless steel vats before bottling.

Fresh and fine, with lovely nectarine and lemon pith flavours. The palate is powerful and textured with fine acidity and trademark M3 fruit intensity at its core.