Cousins Martin Shaw, one of Australia's pioneering flying winemakers, and Michael Hill-Smith, the country's first Master of Wine, established Shaw + Smith in 1989. They make wines exclusively from the Adelaide Hills region of South Australia. The Adelaide Hills lie in the Mount Lofty Ranges, bordered by the Barossa and Eden Valleys to the north and McLaren Vale to the south, and is higher, colder and wetter than these regions. Shaw+Smith cultivate the grape varieties that thrive in this climate: Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Shiraz and use a number of clones of each variety. This, coupled with the diverse altitudes, aspects, microclimates and soils, contribute different qualities to the finished wines and affords for a superb portfolio to be produced. Shaw+Smith's first vintage was in 1990 and early vintages were made at Wirra Wirra and Petaluma but in 1999 they acquired land in Balhannah, where they planted 35 hectares of vines and completed a new winery in time for the 2000 vintage. In 2012 they purchased a 20 hectare site in Lenswood and in 2020 a 5 hectare site in the Piccadilly Valley was planted, bringing their total vineyard holding to 60 hectares. The Balhannah vineyard is planted at an elevation of between 340 to 380 metres above sea level, on sandy loam over red clay, with underlying quartzite and shale, and varying amounts of ironstone pebbles. The Lenswood vineyard is planted at between 455 and 550 metres, on brown loams over clay with broken shale on the ridges. They farm sustainably and organically, and are members of Sustainable Winegrowers Australia. Shaw+Smith's craft vibrant, medium-bodied wines that reflect the vineyard sites of the Adelaide Hills, and bear all the hallmarks of quality you would expect from these to giants of Australian wine.
www.shawandsmith.com