Pinot Noir 2021

Founded in 1989 by Martin Shaw and Michael Hill Smith, Shaw + Smith aims to produce high quality, contemporary wines that are among the best in their class in Australia. The wines are made exclusively from fruit grown in the Adelaide Hills, one of the coolest and most exciting regions in Australia. Shaw + Smith specialises in grape varieties suited to cooler climates.

First planted in 1999, the Lenswood vineyard is planted at an altitude of between 455 and 500 metres. The grapes are hand-picked and sorted, before being transferred to open fermentation tanks, in whole clusters (approximately 20%) and destemmed whole berries. After a gentle fermentation in stainless steel tanks, the wine spends 10 months in new (30%) and used French oak barrels. The wine is neither filtered nor fined. This wine reveals notes of morello cherry , wild strawberry, redcurrant , black berries , wild moss , clove , graphite , white pepper and hot stone. The palate is refined, silky and fresh at the same time. The tannins are melted and the finish is long and tasty.

Australia began producing wine more than two centuries ago. This has resulted in a country rich in old vines, multi-generational winemaking families and an ingrained knowledge and respect for craftsmanship. Add to that a thirst to explore and innovate, a fearless attitude and a diverse notebook of 65 wine regions in many climates, and you have the makings of an extraordinary wine country unlike any other. Australia burst into export markets in the 1980s and since then has been providing the world with vibrant, fruity and exceptional value wines. Until the late 1990s and early 2000s, Australian wine history was dominated by examples of Shiraz, Grenache and overly concentrated red blends. Between these two extremes lies the diversity of Australia's offering of high quality and regional wines that has always existed. Australian viticulture is mainly concentrated on the southern oceanic edge where conditions are cooler. There are four main wine regions located around major cities. Western Australia around Perth, South Australia around Adelaide, Victoria around Melbourne and New South Wales around Sydney. The country is one of the largest wine producers in the world, and was the 4th largest exporter in the world in 2011. This recent development now makes Australia one of the most prominent countries for the quality of its wines. You can taste Australian wines all over the country. Each Australian region has its own grape varieties. Australian wines are defined by their grape variety, unlike French wines which are defined by their terroir.