Shaw and Smith M3 Chardonnay 2022

Cellar for up to 7 years. Serve chilled. Shaw and Smith was founded in 1989 when two winemaking cousins, Martin Shaw and Michael Hall Smith, teamed up to found their very own winery. Shaw has made wine all over the world and even set up the Flying Winemakers Network to support winemaking consultants like himself. Smith is Australia’s first Master of Wine, having completed a series of extremely tough exams to earn the title shared by just a few hundred others in the world. The duo recognised the potential of two prime vineyards in the cool climate Adelaide Hills to create elegant, perfectly-balanced wines like this stunning Chardonnay. Much of the fruit used to make this wine comes from the excellent Lenswood vineyard which is set at high altitude and gives very low yields. The fruit is harvested by hand and the must is then fermented in the barrel primarily using wild yeasts. The young wine is then matured in the barrel for 9 months with regular lees stirring. Ripe peach, apricot and citrus burst out of the glass, while the first sip offers a balanced flavour profile with a rich, creamy texture, medium body, and bright streak of freshness. The rich stone fruit and lemon zest notes linger long on the tongue, mingling with hints of biscuit and toast from the ageing.

Price: £27.67 from 8wines UK