Shaw + Smith Shiraz 2018

The 2018 vintage is defined by balance and effortless flow. It was a great season for Shiraz with generosity, but structure to match.

Dieser Jahrgang ist etwas voller geraten als die letzten, dabei jedoch ganz ausgewogen und weniger vegetabil. Ein richtiger Winterwein! Dunkle, rote Früchte und Blaubeeren in der Nase, Olivenblätter, leicht pfeffrig, Northern Rhône-style. Am Gaumen vollmundiges, perfektes Spiel von fleischig reifer Frucht wie Blaubeeren, blauen Feigen, Pflaumen, Brombeeren und reifen Gerbstoffen wie von dunkler Schokolade und Süßholzwurzel. Schwarze Oliven, Kirschsaft und Pflaumenmus mit etwas Cranberry, frisch und lang, mit herrlicher Tiefe. Langer Abgang mit sanften Noten von Zeder, einem Schuss Graphit, Rauch und salziger Nussbutter.

Das Tolle beim Shaw + Smith Shiraz ist, daß der Wein dicht und fokussiert ist, dabei mit seiner feinen Würze super zu umami-starken asiatisch oder orientalisch gewürzten, Gerichten passt. Nicht umsonst sind die Inhaber seit Jahrzehnten in der Pacific Rim Cuisine Australiens auf fast jeder erstklassigen Restaurant-Weinkarte zu finden. Hier kommen höchster Anspruch und Kompatibilität mit etwas expressiver gewürzten Gerichten am selben Tisch zusammen.

Flaschengröße (Liter): 0,75
Land: Australien
Weingut: Shaw + Smith
Region: Australien, Adelaide Hills
Anbau: In Transition to Organic
Weinberg(e):

Vineyards: Shaw + Smith own two vineyards in the Adelaide Hills, at Balhannah and Lenswood, totalling 55 ha. The vineyards are planted to varieties that perform particularly well in the region, namely Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Shiraz. Source: From low yielding vines predominantly at Balhannah in the central Adelaide Hills, and from Echunga and Macclesfield to the south.

Rebsorten: Shiraz
Barrique: Yes, aged in French oak for fourteen months, of which one third was new.
Winemaking: Hand picked and fermented as a combination of whole berries and whole bunches in open fermenters, with gentle plunging and minimal working.

Verschluss: Screwcap
Alkohol % vol.: 14
Säure g/l: 5,5
Restzucker g/l: 0,8
pH: 3,75
Schwefel mg/l frei(total): 35(71)
Vegan? Produced using sustainable practices, suitable for vegans (für Veganer*innen geeignet)
Haltbarkeit/Optimum drinking: 2021-2030+ Has the concentration and structure to develop fine tertiary characters in bottle over the next 15 years.
Ideale Serviertemperatur: 16-18°C
Allergene: Enthält Sulfite
Winemakers: Martin Shaw and Adam Wadewitz
Abfüller: Shaw & Smith Pty Ltd, 136 Jones Rd, Balhannah SA 5242, Australia
Einführer: Apell Weine, Martin Apell, Ahnatalstrasse 114 A, 34128 Kassel, Deutschland
Verantwortlicher Lebensmittelunternehmer: Apell Weine, Martin Apell, Ahnatalstrasse 114 A, 34128 Kassel, Deutschland

Winemaker´s Comments:

Shaw + Smith Shiraz is a medium bodied cool-climate Shiraz, in which balance is more important than power.

The 2018 vintage is defined by balance and effortless flow. It was a great season for Shiraz with generosity, but structure to match.

Vintage notes:

Outstanding quality from a growing season that threatened, at times, to be tricky. After some heat in January, the moderate, dry and sunny months of February and March delivered beautifully balanced fruit. Crop levels were slightly below average, enhancing flavour and intensity.

Your favourite recipe for this wine:

Decant and enjoy with slow cooked lamb shoulder. Ideal temperature is 16-18°C.

Bewertungen und Stimmen zum Wein (Auszüge):

Congratulations to the Shaw + Smith Winemaking team on the outstanding results in the 2021 Halliday Wine Companion!

James Suckling

Very attractive blueberries and dark plums here with earthy and spicy aromas, as well as black pepper. The palate is filled with fleshy fruit and has dark-cherry, cherry-liqueur and dark-chocolate flavors in abundance. Long flavors, plush smooth tannins and certainly a richer iteration of this wine. Drink or hold. Screw cap. 95 points (7/2020)

Bob Campbell

Deep red colour with a purple tint, excellent colour. The bouquet is spicy, gently vegetal - probably from whole-bunch fermentation - and touches of licorice and dark berry. It's full-bodied and the tannins are ample with a nicely-judged touch of firmness. Peppery throughout. Good length. The texture not as refined as the best of this region perhaps, but very good. Graphite to finish. Excellent shiraz. 95 points (7/2020)

Delicious.com.au - The best shiraz wines for a cosy night on the couch

While the Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale are regularly considered the points of reference when it comes to quality South Australian shiraz, Shaw + Smith makes a strong case for the Adelaide Hills with a wines that are frequently cited as the some of the best in the country. On the fuller side of medium in body, its shiraz is concentrated and structured, framed by a spice-driven profile and firm tannins. Dark cherries, boysenberries and black plums collide with dried violets, liquorice, graphite and a touch of oak, resulting in powerful and memorable length.

OzWine Review - Top 20 best Shiraz of November 2020

This new Shaw & Smith Shiraz 2018 is spice-driven, and firmly Hills-ian highlight too. Has understated purple fruit, sage and then a quietly bitter and substantial palate. There’s a fight here between the riper boysenberry, cranberry and fig fruit and the brooding whole bunch spicier dark and bitterness, but it makes for such an
interesting package. Very good drinking. Best drinking: now to fifteen years. 94 points.

Huon Hooke - Gourmet Traveller Wine - Top New Release Australian Reds - October 2020

Delicious. A full-bodied, powerful wine loaded with pepper and spice notes, and some gentle vegetal overtones, possibly from whole-bunch inclusion. Dark berries, licorice and graphite galore. There are liberal tannins that impart the right touch of firmness. 95 Points.

Lester Jesberg - Winewise

The dark cherry, plum and spice aromas are attentiongrabbers. There’s enough flavour intensity, backed by savoury tannins.

The Real Review- September 2020
Bright, high-energy shiraz with violet, Black Doris plum, violet, floral and spicy oak flavours. An appealing wine that's made with a light touch. Impressive length. A good food wine. (9/2020)

David Sly - Decanter - August 2020

Elegant Shiraz is often code for a modest, subdued wine, but in this instance it’s about capturing harmony and balance. Bright flavour is smartly contained within a seamless body, carefully made to measure. A clean acid line down the spine ensures that no jagged edges poke out. Dark plum and cherry notes flit amongst the blackberry and rhubarb. It’s a smooth, confident customer. 94 points.

Campbell Mattinson – The Winefront – August 2020

Fantastic release. Stunning length, a wide array of flavours, top tier tannin and the (velvety) texture to match. Cloves, nuts, cherry-plum, graphite, woodsmoke. Cool climate profile with a warmth in its heart. I drank a couple of glasses but I was convinced from the first sip. My only real question was whether it was 95 or 96. 95 points.

Huon Hooke - The Real Review - August 2020
Deep red colour with a purple tint, excellent colour. The bouquet is spicy, gently vegetal - probably from whole-bunch fermentation - and touches of licorice and dark berry. It's full-bodied and the tannins are ample with a nicely-judged touch of firmness. Peppery throughout. Good length. The texture not as refined as the best of this region perhaps, but very good. Graphite to finish. Excellent shiraz. 95 points.

Angus Hughson - Winepilot - August 2020
If one company has really put Adelaide Hills Shiraz on the fine wine horizon – it would have to be Shaw and Smith. They have understood the potential of the Adelaide Hills to make cooler climate Shiraz and run with it to create increasingly spicy and nuanced wines. They are always elegant but also well-structured wines that can stand the test of time. The warm 2018 vintage has created a more generous Adelaide Hills expression but with plenty of depth that takes a little time to emerge in the glass. There is the classic blackberry and blueberry shiraz fruit lifted by spice, olive tapenade and even tarry complexity. It is dry, mid-weight and quite tannic in a muscular style but has plenty of fleshy fruit to back it up. The wine is delicious now but could do with a couple of years to show its best.

Rezeptvorschlag von Apell:

für 4 Personen

Probieren Sie mal Meatballs aus 700g Rindertartar, vermischt mit viel frischem, geriebenem Ingwer (ca. 1 Daumen groß), einem Schwupps Sojasauce, einem Ei, geriebenen Zwiebeln, einer Prise Zimt, je ca. 1 TL Oregano, Minze, Koriander, Kumin, einem halben Teelöffel Piment, Muskatnuss und schwarzem Pfeffer. Das Hack nimmt die Flüssigkeit beim Kneten auf, Sie brauchen also keine Semmelbrösel. Dann formen Sie die Meatballs und braten diese in gutem Öl oder Ghee (oder Wagyu-Fett) einmal rundherum an und lassen sie ruhen, während sie in der benutzten Pfanne eine gute Hand voll grob geschnittener Shiitake in dem restlichen Anbratfett plus einem zusätzlichen EL Olivenöl rösten, bei entsprechender Bräunungssituation etwas Zwiebelwürfelchen, Chili und Knoblauch dazufallen lassen und dann mit dem tropfnassen nebenbei entrappten, blanchierten und gehackten Grünkohl quasi ablöschen. Die eingeweichten Morcheln dürfen nun auch mitspielen. Steinpilze gingen auch. Oder andere Pilze, oder auch ganz ohne. Selbst mit Kichererbsen wird es klasse (diese nach dem Anrösten dann zum Teil zerdrücken). Auf genaue Mengen kommt es auch nicht an. Lecker wird es in jedem Fall und schmeckt am zweiten Tag sogar noch besser. Alles bei geringer Flamme fast abgedeckt weiterschmurgeln lassen, bis der Grünkohl weich ist. Wenn es zu trocken wird, erst das Einweichwasser der Morcheln, dann etwas Brühe, Wasser oder Fond zugeben. Abschmecken (Sojasauce/Salz/Pfeffer/Muskatnuss/Koriander/Cumin nachwürzen), gern noch einen ordentlichen Schluck Reisessig und einen großen Löffel Honig oder zwei drangeben und die Meatballs wieder mit in die Sauteuse oder Wok geben und alles noch ein paar Minuten zusammen köcheln lassen. Noch etwas gerösteten Sesam drüberstreuen und mit Chapatis oder Brot zum Stippen genießen. Dazu dann ein Glas Shaw + Smith Shiraz. Guten Appetit und cheers! (JH)