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Shaw & Smith (375ml), 2016, M3 Chardonnay

White, New World, Chardonnay from Australia

Primary fruit notes of nectarine and cumquat and vivid fresh acidity that provides structure and focus together with restrained clean oak. Great as an aperitif with hors d’ourves, subtly flavoured fish and chicken and light creamy dishes.

Why we recommend this wine
Thankfully the days of only over-oaked, over-fruity and over-here Aussie chardonnay are gone. M3 has elegance, restraint, and the capacity to age in bottle (and not so coincidentally, it won a Gold Medal at this year's Sommelier Wine Awards).

The wine
The Adelaide Hills produces some of Australia’s finest Chardonnay and this wine is up there amongst Australia’s finest. It always gets superb reviews and scores from the critics.
The wine spends nine months in barrique, with some lees stirring to build complexity. Special care is taken not to over oak the wine, maintaining fruit integrity

The wine estate
Shaw & Smith was established in 1989 to specialise in cool climate wines, primarily Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay but also some Shiraz and Pinot Noir. They have a practical approach that aims to respect the soil, cut water use, recycle, and cut energy and greenhouse emissions. So a family owned business with a “nurture nature” approach – the type of winemaker that we target to be one of our suppliers.
www.shawandsmith.com

Food and wine
Medium bodied with a citrus base so ideal for subtly flavoured creamy dishes and simple fish and chicken dishes.
Refer also to our food and wine pairing guide, click here

Did you know?
Places where apples and pears thrive have proven to be places where excellent Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay is produced. Two examples spring to mind, the Adelaide Hills in South Australia and Elgin in South Africa.