M3 Adelaide Hills Chardonnay, Shaw & Smith 2020

Savoury notes take the lead in a striking tenor voice. Lacks the feistiness of previous vintages, but 2020 was hardly kind in the Hills. Clean, firm, proud and very well built, this is the elegant, talented diplomat that shows no emotion.

Sourced from 3 vineyards in Piccadilly, Lobethal and the estate’s high-elevation Lenswood block. Whole-bunch pressed, fermented and matured on lees in French barriques and puncheons. The first thing that strikes you is an elegance that is so fundamental to the style and respectful to the elite fruit within. The faintest of oak lifts adds a complexity to start, but the energy and concentration of the fruit become the prime focus on the palate. It's all about chardonnay's finest flavours and a vibrant acidity to drive it long into the future.