20 Years of Shaw & Smith

20 YEARS OF SHAW & SMITH

Enjoying a spot of lunch with the delightfully urbane Michael Hill-Smith, his highly thoughtful cousin and business partner Martin Shaw, their talented winemaker Darryl Catlin and some of Melbourne's most influential retailers and sommeliers, is not a bad way to get through those difficult hours between midday and 3pm. Add to this the highly stylised and polished surrounds of the Rockpool Bar & Grill in Melbourne, silky service and some of Australia's finest beef, and it was not too much of a burden to celebrate the release of the latest creations of this consistent and exciting producer, 20 years since their venture started.

A bit of digging around in the background and it is not hard to understand why the Shaw & Smith brand has been so popular and successful. The fastidious attention to detail of Martin Shaw combined with the marketing smarts of Hill-Smith MW, seems a certain winner. They are clever, well informed, driven and highly professional individuals, and they always have their goals clearly defined.

On the surface the wines of Shaw & Smith are highly sought after, but don't dwell in that rarefied atmosphere of 'Icon' or 'Rare' wines, and this is the desired result. The reality is that making and selling wine is a commercial venture, and turnover is necessary to keep the wheels of any good business turning. On the other hand, if you can combine this with a keen eye on maintaining and improving quality year in and year out, while offering consumers wines they can enjoy and understand in sufficient quantities for market exposure without being over-exposed, then success will continue to keep the bank manager happy.

And for Michael, Martin and their dedicated team at Shaw & Smith, this is the case. The wines are not cheap, nor are they expensive, and they deliver unquestionable quality to keep wine buyers and wine consumers happy, for the wines are reliably consistent, yet never boring, and the whole team strives to produce better wines from every vintage. This was borne out in a tasting of some brand new wines, next to some older examples, so the evolution of style and the direction of the future was plain to see.

It is hard not to start at the beginning with the 2009 Sauvignon Blanc, with its attractive touch of tropical fruit, hints of fresh cut grass and lively and fresh varietal acidity. This vintage is a classic example, and will not disappoint the army of devoted followers, despite the doom and gloom that surrounded 2009 as a vintage. There is every chance this wine will disappear from retail shelves early in 2010, and then be available until the release of the next vintage in restaurants. This focus on maintaining supply to the restaurant trade is undoubtedly instrumental to the brands success.

Next it was time to look at four vintages of M3 Chardonnay, with the 2000, 2005, 2006 and 2008 vintages on offer. The point of interest here was the tightening of structure as the wines progressed. This is not to say that the earlier wines were fat, but the 06 and 08 certainly reflect the move toward linear, slightly savoury styles that are keenly more attuned to the food we eat, than the fat and blousy wines of the past.

The 2008 was a supple and user-friendly wine, light on its feet and graceful across the palate. The 2006 was a standout, offering a tightly wound core of fruit, some attractive savoury complexity, and quite linear and slightly chalky acidity on the finish. The oak is evident but the fruit is devouring it with ease. The 2005 was the first vintage to be bottled under screw cap, and the freshness of the wine validates this decision to the highest degree. Grapefruit, fresh almonds and nicely seasoned oak are all seamlessly balanced in this wine. The 2000 M3 was served from magnum and was in excellent condition, with bright fruit balancing out some developed and toasty complexity. It is wonderful to see that there are Chardonnays out there worthy of aging, beyond the usual suspects.

Mention must be made of the beautifully fresh and vibrant prawns that were served with this wine, and if you have not tried them at Rockpool, then next time you visit you must. No greater advertisement for high quality produce exists than in the flavour of these delectable delights of the sea. The same must be said of the glorious beef that followed from Cape Grim and Greenhams. What they say about oil, is true of beef.

It is an interesting revelation by Hill-Smith that Shiraz was not on the agenda in the early days, as they thought there were enough already in the market place, and one more would get lost. Given the popularity and praise heaped on this gently spicy, yet still generous Shiraz from the Adelaide Hills, we should all be thankful that Merlot did not become the focus of their red wine production.
The wines tasted were from the cool 2002 vintage and then a run from 2005 through to 2007, all showing lovely poise and finesse, but distinctly different personalities. Appreciating vintage variation is certainly one of life's great joys if you love wine.

2002 was a cool year, and there is a certain green note that pokes through the quite silky dark fruits on offer. 2005 was much warmer, and the wine reflects this with quite a juicy personality, but not showing the layers that are sometimes evident. 2006 was a cracker, with seductive perfume and lift, loads of sensual dark fruit, and a backbone of savoury tannin that kept the palate fresh and hungry for more. The latest release 2007, is all arms and legs at the moment and reflects the warmer vintage with dark, bitter chocolate fruit and ripe sweet tannins offering a distinctly more 'Australian' shiraz experience, than the slightly Eurocentric, 2006.

While Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Shiraz dominate the landscape for Shaw & Smith, there is a little Pinot Noir as well, so finishing with two Pinots from 2007 and 2008 seemed quite fitting. Many would argue that Adelaide Hills Pinot Noir is not often amongst the countries finest, but the 2007 was juicy and varietal and the 2008 actually showed good structure, bright fruit and a little savoury complexity. There is hope yet.

The international road show continues for Shaw & Smith, and the Teflon coated livers of Monsieurs Shaw and Hill-Smith have plenty more work to do. The message that they relay is a good one, and their success is well deserved, and for those seeking to emulate them, their model is certainly one to study.

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