This is a predominantly Bright & Crisp wine, but it shares structural nuances of Balance & Finesse as described in the tasting note below.
Tasting Notes
Medium plus bodied, with crisp acidity, there are layered flavors of meyer lemon, nectarine, apple, and minerals, along with more subtle jasmine and anise, puncutated by buttered toast in both the aromas and flavors.
Body is the impression of a wines weight, density, or its ‘mouth-feel’. Some wines feel weighty, or full bodied, while others feel light bodied. Wine runs the gamut from light to full, with most falling somewhere in between.
ACIDITY
Low
Moderate
Balanced
Crisp
High
Acidity is a foundational component in wine. In fact, low acidity, or ‘flabby’ wine (as the term suggests) is a negative. You can sense acidity mainly on the sides of your tongue. Acidity generally ranges from balanced to high. Crisp acidity adds freshness, making your mouth water. Acidity is a necessary element and helps to balance other components.
SWEETNESS
Dry
Off Dry
Medium Dry
Medium Sweet
Very Sweet
Most wines are characterized as dry to off-dry, but there are some grape varietals, like Riesling, that run the gamut from dry to sweet. The tip of the tongue mainly detects sweetness, which is why it is often the primary characteristic detected. Sweetness is derived from residual sugar that did not ferment into alcohol.
ALCOHOL
13%
Alcohol is the by-product of fermentation. Differing grape varieties have differing potential alcohol levels, but regardless warmer areas result in riper grapes resulting in higher alcohol. Alcohol level is an objective number, but its affect on its palate impression is largely determined with how well integrated and balanced it is with other components.
Expressive yet layered, nervy yet balanced. Aussie Aussie Aussie, Oi Oi Oi!
GRAPE VARIETAL(S)
Chardonnay
100%Shar-do-NAY
Chardonnay may be the most versatile white wine grape, often seen as a blank canvas. It displays various flavors and aromas depending on where it is grown and more specifically, how it is made. It can range in Palate Character from Bright & Crisp to Rich & Full depending on the climate. It is also particularly malleable and highly affected by winemaking choices like as malolactic fermentation, lees stirring, barrel fermentation and ageing practices.
Shaw + Smith was founded in 1989 by cousins Michael Hill Smith (Master of Wine) and Martin Shaw with the goal of making cooler climate varieties suitable for the Adelaide Hills.
Shaw + Smith wines can be characterized by restraint rather than opulence, which today is somewhat atypical in Australia. Shaw + Smith focus on true expressions of terroir, growing the best sustainably farmed grapes, focusing on low yields and the best fruit.
The wines are fermented, aged, and bottled on site at Balhannah, and the resulting wines are vibrant, medium bodied expressions of their varieties that reflect their respective sites.
Meyer Lemon
Mineral
Toast
